There's A Hole In Your Logic
by jasmine roselee
Summary: COMPLETE AU. Slash. Remus Lupin has a new neighbour. Who is it? None other than Sirius Black, of course. Chapters get better as you go along!
1. Abilene

Disclaimer: I don't own Harry Potter, otherwise I wouldn't have let Lily and James die, Sirius wouldn't have gone to Azkaban, and no one other than the evil people would have died. But that wouldn't have been much of a story now would it?

Warnings: AU, Slash (Sirius/Remus). If you don't like it, don't read it.

Pairings: Remus/Sirius and perhaps some James/Lily later on.

Author's Note: I've changed some of the timing around so it fits with my story. Hope you don't mind. Also, although this is a MWPP era piece, Peter will not feature in the story because honestly, I wouldn't know how to write him.

Enjoy, and please leave feedback!

_**There's A Hole In Your Logic**_ – Jasmine Roselee

**Chapter One: Abilene**

It was the first day of the summer holidays, the sun was shining brightly and one Sirius Black stood on the outskirts of a small town with a piece of parchment clasped in his hand.

He looked down at the crumpled piece for the fifteenth time that minute.

_24 Livetale Lane _

_Abilene_

The address was simple.

Dark hair swirled around his face in the light breeze as his gaze wandered over the small town before him.

Glancing down at the hastily scrawled address for the last time, he came to some apparent decision and started towards the town at a brisk pace.

Looking around him as he walked, Sirius identified signs of life; people behind curtained windows and even a few early risers already in the street.

Turning his mind away from the routines of the residents of Abilene, Sirius concentrated on trying to find his destination.

The last time he had been here had been quite a few years ago, and he was worried that he'd have to ask someone for directions. Concentrating on his memory of the cobble stone streets and looking around for any identifying landmarks, he didn't notice the boy coming towards him until their bodies had collided.

The boys rebounded off each other and stumbled backwards.

"Uh!" Sirius grunted.

"Oh! God – sorry!" said Sirius' partner in the collision. "I - I wasn't watching where I was going," the startled boy continued.

Sirius looked at the boy in front of him. His eyes darted over his body, taking in the mousy and slightly wavy hair, the lean figure and the hazelnut coloured eyes that stood out from underneath a roughly cut and tousled fringe. He reckoned they were about the same age, give or take a year.

Sirius shook his head slightly to return to the present as the boy shifted under his inspection and bent to pick up the books he'd obviously dropped when they ran into each other. Sirius noticing the books for the first time bent to help him.

"No, don't worry about it. I wasn't watching where I was going either," said Sirius, strangely hoping the boy wouldn't be upset.

"I noticed." The boy smiled slightly. "Where were you off to? You seemed to be in a rush," he asked straightening.

Sirius handed him his books and decided he might as well ask for directions. "I'm just looking for Livetale Lane. Could you tell me where it is?"

"Oh sure. It's actually just around the corner." He pointed to the other end of the street.

"Great, thanks."

They stood looking at one another before the sound of a voice calling "Remus!" distracted them.

The boy before Sirius turned as he heard his name, and looked up to the girl coming down the steps of the house they had stopped in front of.

"Hello Lily," he smiled.

"What are you doing?" Lily asked, her eyes darting up the street.

Remus turned and was surprised to see the boy he'd collided with briskly walking away, already halfway down the street.

"Who is he?" asked Lily, reaching him and looking with Remus at the back of the retreating figure.

"No idea," Remus said absently.

"Oh. Well, we can find out later." Lily turned and smiled at him in slight exasperation. "Only you get up this early on the first day of the holidays!" she said. "Let's go inside."

Remus smiled somewhat sheepishly as Lily, clad still in her pyjamas, took his elbow and steered him into her house. His thoughts however were still with the mysterious boy he'd just met. Or rather, that his body had just acquainted itself with.

* * *

After he heard the girl call out to the boy he'd run into - who's name he now knew to be Remus - Sirius had taken his leave. He was still intent on getting to his destination - even if he had met a rather attractive boy in the process.

Sirius quietly scolded himself for thinking such things. He had more important things to worry about at that moment. _Whether the next few minutes will go well, for example. _

If he was honest with himself, he was actually happy that he'd gotten away from the boy and girl before introductions had had to be made. He wasn't ready to reveal his name just yet and people's prejudices against the Blacks, was precisely the reason. He wasn't like his family. He did not believe in the same things as the Blacks. That was why he was here; why he had left in the first place. _Along with other reasons._

At the corner of the street Sirius turned to look back at the pair now entering the nice white house he had previously stopped before.

The boy was intriguing. Something in his eyes had drawn Sirius to him, though he was mightily confused as to what it was. He had however, a feeling that he hadn't seen the last of the boy yet.

Turning away, Sirius continued into the street he had been looking for. Attempting to dispel the thoughts of the mousy haired boy from his mind, he eyed the numbers on the right-hand side of the street. Stopping before a fence with a large grey '24' painted onto the letterbox he looked up at the house behind it. He knew he'd found the address written on the crumpled piece of parchment he'd held earlier, which surprisingly was still clutched in his hand. Vague memories flitted through his mind of the red door and neat garden.

He stood a while before the gate, suddenly anxious as to whether he should have let the people living inside know of his arrival beforehand, and wondering whether it was too early to visit.

Summoning up his courage however, he pushed open the gate and strode down the path towards the front door. He hadn't gone to all this trouble just to back out now.

Standing in front of the red door, he raised his fist and knocked three times. He didn't have to wait long before he heard the sounds of someone coming down the stairs.

He stood back a bit; fixing his expression to one he hoped didn't look too pleading. He really wanted this to go well. The door swung open and he looked at the woman in front of him. He heard her quiet gasp of surprise and smiled slightly.

"Si-Sirius? What on earth are you _doing_ here?"

* * *

"Hey Andy," Sirius said with a small smile. "Long-time-no-see."

She stared at him for a few seconds more then seeming to realise that he was still standing outside, beckoned him in. "Come on, we can't have my favourite cousin standing out there for ever."

Thankfully he stepped inside and she closed the door. _So far, so good, _he thought.

He was still rather apprehensive of her reaction however and stood warily watching her. Suddenly she flung her arms around him and cried "Oh Sirius!"

After a while of hugging, (in which Sirius hugged right back since it was _so_ good to finally have someone want to actually touch him, let alone hug him), Andromeda Tonks pulled away, and yet again studied her cousin.

"You still haven't answered my question, you know. What are you doing here?" she asked.

Seeing no bitterness, suspicion or accusation in her eyes, Sirius relaxed slightly. "Well, I sort of – um – ran away."

Her reaction was to be expected. "YOU WHAT!?"

Sirius smiled meekly at her. "Maybe we should sit down?" he ventured. They were still standing in the hall way and on his suggestion she grabbed his hand and pulled him into a nearby room.

"Sirius Black, you explain yourself this instant," she demanded as she pushed him towards a couch. Taking a seat in the arm chair opposite, she gave him a very concerned look.

Taking a deep breath, Sirius began the explanation that he knew he had to make.

"I hated it there Andy. I was different from everyone in the family. I didn't share the same opinions, I didn't think the same way. You know what it's like as a Black. People respect you out of fear. They don't see past the name. They think we're all arrogant, and rich, and unfeeling. I'm not like them Andy. They treated me like shit because I didn't agree with them. I hated all their pureblood fantasies. I couldn't handle it anymore. I had to get away."

His stream of consciousness ebbed away and he looked up from the floor.

She was silent so he went on, almost pleading. "You did it too, Andy. You ran away too."

They were silent for a while, and then Andromeda got up and came and sat down next to Sirius. She hugged him.

"Do they know?" she asked finally.

"I left yesterday and spent the night at the Leaky Cauldron. I assume they'll start to get the picture that I'm gone in about a week unless the house elves mention I'm missing."

She smiled sadly at that. The Black's really were a twisted family.

"You were the only person I could think of who would understand, so I came to you. I'm so sorry if you don't want this," he suddenly said as if realising for the first time that she may not want him around.

"Shh, no, no, Sirius. I don't mind at all. Us rebels gotta stick together," she said with a smile.

Sirius became suddenly uncharacteristically shy. "I was hoping – well – I was sort of hoping you could help me look for a place to stay, and a job perhaps as well," he said.

Andromeda looked at him in horror. "You've got to be joking! Sirius, I am not helping you find your own place!"

"You're right, I'm – I'm sorry, I shouldn't have asked."

"What? No! Sirius, you're staying here with us! You can't expect me to let my favourite cousin live out on his own! Plus, we've got a spare bedroom that we've had no idea what to do with – you can just take that," she said.

"Really?" Sirius asked with a faint glimmer of hope. "Are you sure, really?"

"Of course, you silly duffer!" she said ruffling his hair.

At that moment a small girl of about five years, with magenta coloured hair came into the room; rather, she tripped into the room.

"Oh Nymphadora!" cried Andromeda as she went to help the girl up. "Come meet Sirius."

"Dora, this is Sirius, my cousin. Sirius, this is Dora, my daughter."

Sirius stared at her. "You're a _mum_!?" he said in astonishment.

Andromeda laughed. "Honestly, you shouldn't be that surprised. I have been married for six years, you know."

"Yeah, but…" he trailed off, looking at the girl in front of him. As he watched, her hair began to change from magenta to a dark almost black colour.

Andromeda laughed again. "Look! She likes you! She tends to copy the looks of people she likes."

Sirius was now looking at a very young, girl version of himself. It was quite disconcerting.

"So she's a Metamorphmagus," he said. "Never met one of those before." He smiled at the little girl who suddenly became extremely shy and ran out of the room.

Her mother laughed again at the antics of small children and stood. "Come on, we should get you some breakfast. You're probably starving."

Sirius followed her into the kitchen and sat at the bench watching her start to make pancakes. "You want some help?" he asked apprehensively.

"No, no, you go ahead and sit there like a good little boy." She grinned at him. "So you've never been in a muggle house before, have you?"

"Muggle?" Sirius asked in confusion.

"The man I married, Ted, he's a muggle-born remember?" she said in slight exasperation. "The whole reason I ran away and was blasted off the tree."

"Oh yeah," said Sirius grinning. "I'll expect that to happen to me too."

"Mmm. Well since he's muggle-born and we live in a mixed town, our house is pretty much as muggle as you get without lacking magic altogether. Abilene's where he used to live before Hogwarts and so we still have some of his old friends pop in from time-to-time." She smiled at him over the bowl of pancake mixture.

"I'm going to have a lot of fun showing you all this stuff," she said with a laugh. "Wait 'till you see the T.V. It'll blow your mind."

After breakfast, Andromeda did in fact show off her muggle appliances and had a great deal of fun watching Sirius examine them all. His reaction to the T.V was priceless – when she turned it on, he sat before it in wonder before banging his head on the glass trying to get into the show, convinced it was some sort of rectangular pensive. She nearly suffocated from her laughing fit when the phone rang and he jumped a mile into the air and proceeded to warily levitate the ringing (and "obviously cursed") object and lock it in a cupboard before she told him what it really was.

The rest of the day, Sirius spent unpacking his things from the shrunken trunks he'd had in his pocket and at 5.00pm, he met Andy's husband for the first time. He was unaccountably nervous and wanted to make a good impression but when Ted Tonks arrived home he wasn't at all surprised to see a random stranger in his house. Andy had apparently already informed him of his arrival.

"Nice to meet you Sirius. I've heard a great deal about you, and hope you feel at home here."

Sirius liked him instantly. He was warm, witty and totally accepting, nothing he'd expected a muggle-born to be like after years of hearing them being "nothing better than vermin".

After dinner, Sirius, quite overwhelmed with the day's events retreated to his room upstairs for some time on his own. His room was still rather plain but Andy had said they'd go shopping for some things in a few days.

_I can't believe my luck_, he thought. His amazement at being so quickly and warmly accepted by his cousin who he hadn't seen for years and her family had left him thinking that there might actually be decent people in the world. He felt warm and bubbly inside which was a very un-Sirius like way to feel. He put it down to good food.

Moving over to the window he looked out into the dark evening. His window faced the side of the house next door and he found himself looking down into a warm and inviting-looking kitchen. The angle that he was looking from showed him the bench and sink that ran under the window, part of the floor, and half of the left side of the kitchen. As he stood there watching, two legs clad in blue and white striped pyjamas walked into the kitchen. Sirius saw half of a fridge door open and then shut again and a few seconds later the unidentifiable person moved into Sirius' line of vision. He realised with a jolt that he was now looking at the half-naked form of the boy he'd bumped into that morning. _Remus, _his brain supplied. Remus was drinking out of a milk carton and his raised arm gave Sirius a clear view of his shirtless chest; lean muscles visible in the warm glow of the kitchen lamp.

As Sirius watched, Remus finished drinking and moved to the sink to rinse out the carton. Sirius could make out faint small, randomly placed scars on the boy's chest and upper arms and his eyes wandered over the boy's relaxed face, his lightly tanned chest and slipt down to the waist band of his pyjama pants which hung loosely around slender hips. As his eyes lingered there, Sirius bit his lip and tried to dispel the inappropriate thoughts forming in his mind. Much too soon for his liking however, Remus ended rinsing, turned off the kitchen light and exited the now dark room.

Now that he didn't have anything interesting to look at Sirius moved away from the window and began to change into his pyjamas. As he lay in his new bed a few minutes later, he couldn't help grinning as his thoughts returned to his mousy-haired neighbour. _Didn't take long, did it?_ His inner voice said idly. _Oh shut up, _he told it. _The guy's just very aesthetically pleasing, is all. _But for the few minutes it took him to fall asleep, his mind stayed on the boy he didn't even know.

Sirius slept very well that night.

* * *

_A/N: Hope you all enjoyed the first chapter! Please let me know what you think of my story!_

_Please excuse any grammatical/spelling errors in this. My beta's in _Italy_ of all places so she couldn't go over it and I really felt like posting something. I proof read but I do sometimes miss things. _


	2. Sundaes and Surprises

**Disclaimer:** The usual…don't own, don't sue.

**Author's note:** A few things to say: First, I forgot to mention last time that the title of this story is from a line in the song 'Good-bye Mr. A' by the Hoosiers. Second, I thought I'd mention that I thought of this story before taking the Deathly Hallows story line into consideration, therefore there will be no Snape living in the town. Third, thanks soooo much to my beta _**amber belle **_for beta-ing this for me. You're awesome! And fourth, thanks to all those who left a review! They make my day! :)

And onto the story… Enjoy!

* * *

**Chapter Two: Sundaes and Surprises**

'Penelope and Amber's Ice Cream Galore' was one of Remus and Lily's favourite shops on the main road of Abilene. The bright interior and relaxed atmosphere was a great way to enjoy your favourite ice-cold treat.

Currently, Remus and Lily sat at one of the small round tables, each one covered in a plastic tablecloth patterned uniquely with an assortment of fruits, sweets and colourful shapes. In front of them sat two giant sundaes, and an open book was propped open and held up on a tissue dispenser.

"McGonagall mentioned it in about every lesson, though!" Remus said to a patient looking Lily.

"Remus, I hardly think that she would test us on something so advanced! She hasn't specifically told us that the topic will be tested and she usually does, and I really don't think anyone will be likely to study it anyway. If she does test us on it, then we'll all fail, so really, there's no point!"

Remus closed the transfiguration book. They'd had it charmed to a different cover and consequently, any muggle who looked their way thought they were passionately discussing the 'Guinness World Records' of 1962.

"Yeah, well, it's better to be safe than sorry. Don't come crying to me when you've failed the year. Anyway, why aren't you at all worried? You'd usually be nagging me to study up."

Lily smiled and shrugged. "It's the holidays. I can afford to relax." Remus could get irrationally paranoid about tests sometimes and when she saw he was about to protest, she changed the subject; there was no point arguing with him.

"So who do you think that guy was we saw yesterday?" she asked.

"Hmm? Oh, yeah." Remus had (surprisingly) forgotten about the mystery boy from the previous day. Now that he'd been reminded however, the memory of the elegant face and dark hair popped into his mind and refused to budge. He gave a shrug.

"I didn't get his name. Only that he was looking for my street."

"Mmmm," Lily sounded. She always loved a good mystery. "Did he say who he was looking for? Or what he was doing?"

"Nup. Nothing. I got the feeling he wasn't up to sharing information."

"That's understandable. I mean, if you're in a new town you don't exactly go and broadcast your secrets to some random on the street. And if he's a wizard he'd be even more guarded about what he says in case you're a muggle."

Remus made a noise of agreement around the spoonful of chocolate ice cream that was currently invading his mouth.

Lily gave him a disgusted, if amused, look. "Boys," he heard her mutter as she turned to rummage around in her bag. Finally finding what she'd been looking for, she turned back and whacked her notebook on the table.

Remus raised an eyebrow at her. "You already got something planned then? Are you going to spy on the poor mystery fellow and then sneak into his house for further information into his identity?" he asked innocently.

Over the past years their friendship had grown and Remus now knew that Lily wasn't always as innocent as she seemed. She always carried around her black notebook and in it was where her ideas, thoughts, memories and most notorious schemes were hidden. When she put her mind to it, she could give James a run for his money. If she would only open her eyes, she would see how perfect they were for each other.

Lily's subsequent glare didn't quite have the affect she had hoped for since she had a spoon hanging from her mouth and a drop of melted strawberry ice cream had somehow managed to end up on her nose.

Remus laughed and leaned over to wipe the drop into oblivion. Lily pulled the spoon out of her mouth and glared at Remus again.

"_No_," she said. "I was just getting out my list of stuff to do. I really do have quite a few errands to run and I was hoping to subtly bully you into coming with me."

Remus laughed again. "I would have come with you anyway since I don't have anything better to do."

As Lily began to inform him of her plan for the day, a commotion out on the street drew their attention. A few people had stopped on the street to stare at something just outside their line of vision, while others kept walking but turned there heads every few seconds to get another look. The object of their attention became apparent when an old man walked briskly past the shop window. The man sported a silver beard that went all the way down to his belt line, and his long silver hair fell down his back. His hair however was not that which was garnering so much attention; it was rather his attire. The old man was wearing long golden yellow robes that were patterned with small red, green and blue stars. Long and purposeful strides made visible bright purple shoes, and on his head was a tall wizard hat made of the same material as his robes. He apparently had no idea he was the object of so much whispering and attention and smiled jovially at all the passers by.

He soon passed out of Remus and Lily's line of sight but they continued to stare out the window. Suddenly they turned to face each other in shock.

"_Dumbledore?_" they chorused incredulously.

Without further consultation they grabbed their bags and jackets and rushed out of the parlor, all thoughts of 'What-to-do-lists' and ice cream sundaes left behind.

* * *

The main street of Abilene was for pedestrians only and even though the crowd of Sunday shoppers was large, they easily followed Dumbledore through the knot of people, using his hat as a beacon.

"What on Earth is he doing here?" said Lily as she and Remus dodged Sunday morning shoppers.

"I have absolutely no idea," said a bemused Remus. "He could have chosen something less conspicuous to wear though. I mean, he must know this is also a muggle town."

"Oh, I'm sure he knows. He probably thinks he can get away with being some eccentric old fool."

"He is though," stated Remus matter-of-factly.

Lily laughed. "That he is. Come on, hurry! He just turned a corner."

The pair followed Dumbledore for about ten minutes, making sure they kept a distance of about fifty metres or so. At one point, Lily had to grab Remus by the shirt and pull him behind a tree when Dumbledore seemed to feel the two sets of eyes on his back and turned to look back up the street. Peeping out from behind the trunk, Remus motioned for them to continue, as Dumbledore had apparently decided that no-one was following him.

It was with some surprise that they found themselves two minutes later turning into Remus' street Livetale Lane. They slowed their progress to match that of Dumbledore's, who was looking at the house numbers on the right hand side of the street. Seeming to have found the house he was looking for, Dumbledore opened the front gate and strode purposefully up to the front door. A few seconds after he knocked, the door was drawn open and he was ushered inside. A second or so after the abrupt disappearance of the man they'd been following, Remus noticed exactly whose house Dumbledore had gone into.

"Hey! That's Andy's house!" he said, the same moment Lily exclaimed the exact same thing.

They looked at each other in shock and confusion and, after staring at each other and thinking that the morning was turning out quite odd, they realized they were standing in the middle of the pathway like statues. Deciding it was better to sit down than to draw attention to themselves, they moved over to the house next door to the one Dumbledore had gone into. It happened, in fact, to be Remus'.

"Well at least we know he wasn't lost." Remus joked as they sat on the veranda. "Now we know, he's visiting a wizarding family and not just absent-mindedly strolling through the countryside."

"What I want to know is what exactly he's doing here. I mean, Nymphadora's not even five yet so it wouldn't possibly be about her going to Hogwarts, and we don't usually hear about Dumbledore making house calls."

"It doesn't mean he doesn't though." Remus pointed out logically. "Maybe they're friends."

"I guess… but it still seems all a bit weird to me. If they were friends we would have heard about it. Andy's never mentioned much about him, and we would have seen him here before if they were. Do – do you think it's something about the war?" she seemed suddenly worried.

"Nah, I don't think so. Dumbledore seemed too cheerful to be making a war related visit." Remus said.

"Hey! Maybe it's something to do with the mystery boy. You said he was looking for this street yesterday. Maybe he's a fugitive or something!"

Remus laughed. "I hardly think he's a fugitive. He didn't exactly look the type."

"What type was he then, oh Mr. Ever-so-observant Lupin?" Lily said with a sly grin. "I'm sure you noticed _something_ about him."

He whacked her with a pillow from one of the cane chairs they were sitting on.

"I didn't notice anything," he said.

Lily gave him a knowing smile. "Sure."

The pair proceeded to discuss possible identities for the mystery boy and possible scenarios that would garner him a visit from the headmaster of Hogwarts, each more absurd than the last. They were so absorbed in their conversation and laughter that they didn't notice the old man in golden yellow robes exit the house next door half an hour later. They didn't notice the small, amused smile he gave them and they didn't notice as he turned and proceeded to disappear down the street.

* * *

Sirius had been sitting on the couch in Andy's front room watching his second cousin Nymphadora play with her dolls when his mind drifted yet again to his neighbour. _Remus. Like one of the founders of Rome. _Recalling their first (and only) conversation, he was again relieved that he hadn't mentioned his name. For reasons unknown, he _really _didn't want Remus to think of him as the stereotypical Black: rich, and arrogant. _ Merlin, I hope he gets to know _me_ before my name comes into it. _

He realised belatedly that he didn't even know whether the boy was Muggle or not. If he was a Muggle, his name wouldn't matter one bit. Abilene was a mixed town where the wizarding community lived in harmony among the Muggles. The Muggles, however, had no idea who, or rather _what_, their neighbours were.

His pondering was interrupted with a knock on the door. Andromeda, who had been dusting the hall shelf, went to open it and Sirius heard her give an exclamation of surprise.

"Professor Dumbledore! Why, I never! Another unexpected visitor in two days! Please do come in," she rambled while ushering the amused Professor inside.

Sirius frowned. He'd heard of a Professor Dumbledore from somewhere but he didn't know who he was. He continued to listen.

"So it is true then, that a certain young man came to visit. I do hope he is still here. He is in fact the object of my visit," Dumbledore said as he stood waiting while Andromeda locked the door.

Sirius' frown deepened. Was the man here to take him back to his family? _I won't go_, he thought resolutely.

The living room was off to the left from the hall way and through the glass doors, Sirius saw a sliver of golden yellow material.

"Why yes, he is still here. I always marvel at how you get your information Professor, and so quickly."

Dumbledore smiled. "Every man must have his secrets, Mrs Tonks."

"Of course, sir. And please, call me Andromeda - or Andy even, everyone calls me Andy."

"Andromeda then. Please may I speak to Mr. Black?"

"Of course! He's right in here."

Sirius stood up from the couch and backed away as the door opened. Andy came in followed by the oddest looking man Sirius had ever seen in his life. He quickly closed his open mouth and adopted the Black face of resolution. He was not going anywhere.

The man – Dumbledore – was looking at him very intently. So intently in fact that it was quite a shock when he suddenly smiled and asked in all seriousness, "Do you like sherbet lemons, Mr. Black?"

Sirius looked at him as if he were crazy and chanced a glance at Andromeda who was standing near the door. She was hiding a smile behind her hand.

He looked back at Dumbledore who looked like he expected an answer and warily he answered, "Err, I guess."

"Splendid!" cried Dumbledore and took out a packet of said sweets from the inner pockets of his robes. Offering them to Sirius, he said conversationally "Just making sure. They are quite my favourite, and always an ice-breaker."

Sitting down on the couch previously occupied by Sirius, Dumbledore motioned him to sit down in the arm chair opposite. After eyeing the lemons suspiciously and selecting one, Sirius sat. He handed the bag back to Dumbledore who popped a sweet in his mouth and sighed in content. Sirius still thought he was crazy.

"So, I imagine you must be wondering who I am, how I know you and what I'm doing here," Dumbledore said to him. Sirius, after realising he'd been caught off guard by his expectations, adopted a mask of blank indifference that his father had taught him to wear when being questioned by strangers. _Let nothing through_.

He did nod, however, in response to Dumbledore's statement. He was indeed curious about the man in front of him.

"My name is Albus Dumbledore and I am Headmaster of Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry."

_Ah, so that is why I've heard of him,_ Sirius thought_. _Countless times, he'd heard his father and his friends discussing the disgrace of Dumbledore, the 'muggle-loving fool'.

Unaware of Sirius' thoughts, Dumbledore continued. "I became aware of your – ah – departure from your family two nights ago and came to discuss the issue with you."

_So the old man _was_ here to take him back!_

"I'm not going back," Sirius spat vehemently. He stood up abruptly. "I refuse to go with you! You can't make me!"

"My dear boy, I am not here to make you go back," said Dumbledore quietly. "I am here to offer you a place at my school."

This, Sirius was not expecting.

"What?"

Dumbledore smiled, his eyes twinkling behind half-moon spectacles. "Mr. Black, you ran away from your family just a few days ago."

Sirius gave a curt nod.

"And I trust that you wish to make your absence from your family permanent?"

Another nod.

"Therefore I assume you do not wish to go back to Durmstrang?"

Sirius looked at him and warily nodded again.

"Well then. We now have a situation in which you need place at a school to continue your wizarding education and I am offering you a place at Hogwarts. I believe the two fit quite well together."

Sirius was fighting an internal battle. As much as he may seem to dislike it, his education had been the hardest thing he'd had to give up when he decided to run away. Yet here a situation had arisen that was a perfect remedy to the problem. If his pride would just let him accept, he wouldn't have to look for a job that didn't require higher education. He would be able to go back to school again.

He was aware of Dumbledore's understanding gaze on him and he turned away. _What do I do?_ He hadn't expected anything like this to happen. He'd expected to have to handle things himself. Finally he came to a decision.

With the mask hiding his true emotions back on his face, he turned again to face Dumbledore.

"I do not want nor need your pity," he said.

Dumbledore nodded. "And I was not here to give you any."

Sirius nodded once in approval. "Do I need to transfer money into your account directly?" It was the closest thing he could say in acceptance other than a blatant 'yes'.

Dumbledore seemed surprised. "Good heavens, no! We have a school account – but that can all be settled later. You will come to learn, Mr. Black that Hogwarts is very different to Durmstrang."

Sirius, tired from standing, re-took his seat. "Alright," he said.

Dumbledore smiled at him again, and then called Andromeda from the kitchen.

"Thank you for your time, Mr. Black, and for entry into your home, Andromeda. I must make use of the rare time when I have no students to watch over and attend to other important business."

"Oh, do you not have time to stay for tea?" Andromeda asked.

Dumbledore chuckled. "If only I could. Time is such a precious thing."

Andromeda gave a pointed look at Sirius before passing out into the hallway. Sirius cleared his throat and swallowed his Black family pride. "Thank you, Professor Dumbledore, for your offer."

"There is no need for thanks my boy, it was my pleasure entirely," replied Dumbledore while he offered the bag of sherbet lemons to Sirius again. "I do look forward to the next school year."

As he stood to leave the room, Dumbledore turned once more to Sirius.

"Mr. Black, you will come to learn that a name does not mean everything, and that those that matter will not care of your background. You do not need to hide who you are; it will always come out in the end."

With a nod and another knowing smile, Dumbledore left the room, leaving Sirius to ponder the Professor's final statement.

* * *

Fully satisfied with the morning's events Dumbledore almost skipped down the steps of the Tonks' house. Hearing laughter, he turned and noticed two figures sitting on the veranda of the house next door.

_Ah, my followers. How splendid. Sirius will have good company these holidays._

He turned, swept his cloak around himself and strode out of the garden. Casting a sensing charm to warn him of watching eyes, Dumbledore set off down the street and in mid stride Apparated away.

* * *

A/N: Not much Sirius/Remus interaction in this one, but I hope you still enjoyed it! :) Please leave a review; it only takes a few seconds! :)

Also, I actually need some advice in the story. Does anyone know whether it was mentioned in the books, whether Remus's parents were muggles, or if one of them was or if both were magical? I figure at least one of them should have been magical since Remus was bitten and it would have been hard to explain why he suddenly turns into a wolf every full moon, but I wasn't sure. Thanks!


	3. Butterflies

**Disclaimer:** You know, I should say that I _do_ own Harry Potter, just to be different. I, however, don't want to be sued so I must unfortunately inform you that I am not J.K Rowling and don't own the rights to the wonderful Potter world.

**Author's Note: **I had two SACs at school today, so I thought I'd reward myself (and all you patient readers) by updating!

Thanks to my AWESOME beta _**amber belle**_ for doing wonders on this chapter. Go check out her stories. They are mighty fine :)

A big 'thankyou' and hug goes to everyone who expressed their opinion on Remus' parents. It's not vital to the story, but I thought I'd ask around.

Enjoy this chapter and please review! :)

* * *

**Chapter Three: Butterflies**

Sirius woke late, the sun streaming in from the window, bathing him and his tussled bed in a glow of warm sunshine. Donning a pair of slippers Andromeda had left for him in his room, he made his way down to the kitchen.

The house was quiet and, glancing at a clock that stood on the bookshelf in the hallway, Sirius realized that Andy and Ted must have left for work since it was already half past ten.

_I have the house to myself then, _he thought with a smile.

A he entered the open kitchen, he gave a strangled yell.

"WHO THE HELL ARE YOU?"

He nearly pulled his wand out of his pocket, before realizing he should probably wait and see whether the person sitting at the kitchen bench was a muggle or not. Otherwise, funny questions would be asked as to why he was pointing a wooden stick at somebody.

The intruder jumped before turning around quickly. She was about the same age as Sirius, pretty, with red flowing hair and startling green eyes. At the sight of Sirius she grinned.

"Hey! It's you!" she said.

"Um. Me?" Sirius asked, confused. This was _not_ normal intruder behaviour.

"Yeah! The guy from the street! You met my friend Remus yesterday."

At the mention of Remus, Sirius realized that this girl was probably the one that had called out to him the day before last. At closer inspection, he thought she looked familiar. He hadn't been paying close attention at the time, but he remembered the red hair.

"Yeah. You're that girl," he said in response.

"Lily. Lily Evans." She strode towards him, and held out her hand.

Sirius shook her hand and then looked at her again questioningly. "So, um, what are you doing here?"

Lily laughed. "Oh, right, yeah... I baby-sit for Andy. When she works during the week, I look after Nymphadora. Only in the holidays, though."

"Well, that's not much fun. You'd spend your whole holidays looking after a kid."

"Nah, it's not that bad. Andy only works on weekdays and she's usually back by three, and Ted has Fridays off, so I get them off too. Plus, the money's not too bad."

Sirius, realizing he was still standing in the middle of the kitchen in his pyjamas, went to sit down at the table. Lily went back to the bench.

"So, who are you?" she asked. "I didn't get your name before."

Sirius gritted his teeth. "I'm Sirius Black," he said.

Lily didn't bat an eyelash at the name. She was either really good at hiding her thoughts or had no idea who his family was. _It's probably the latter,_ he thought.

"And what are you doing here?" she asked, smiling at the repetition of their questions.

"Oh, I'm Andy's cousin."

"Really!? Wow. That's pretty cool."

Silence followed.

Sirius shifted in his seat and decided to see if he could find out whether she was a witch or not. If she was babysitting for Andy, then there would be a pretty high chance that she was, and it would make this thing a whole lot less awkward – but you never knew.

"So, um, what school do you go to?" he asked casually.

She regarded him closely. "It's sort of far away. You've probably never heard of it before."

He nodded. "Yeah I used to go to one a fair way away too. It was sort of _special._" He put emphasis on the last word. If she wasn't a witch, the worst she could think would be that he was somehow retarded.

She grinned, however. "Mine too."

"Oh. And – um- well – this may sound a bit odd but - do you like sherbet lemons?"

Lily laughed and nodded. "My headmaster really loves them too actually." They were both grinning at each other now. "He has a rather funny name… Dumbledore."

Thoroughly convinced now, Sirius grinned at her and stretched out his hand again. "Hi, I'm Sirius Black, wizard."

Lily laughed again. "Lily Evans, witch."

It was like meeting all over again. Tension in the air that they hadn't noticed seemed to lift.

"You had a visit from Professor Dumbledore yesterday, didn't you?" she asked suddenly.

Sirius was caught by surprise. "How'd you know?"

"Remus and I saw him on the main road and followed him here."

Sirius raised his eyebrows at her. "You _followed_ him?"

"Not as innocent as I look, am I?" Lily smirked at Sirius as he nodded, agreeing.

"So what did he want?" she continued.

"You sure are persistent, aren't you?" he asked as Lily grinned at him. "Well, he came to offer me a place at Hogwarts."

"Oh!? That wasn't one we thought of - though now I think about it, it makes sense."

"Um, what?" asked Sirius, a little confused again.

She laughed. "Oh, Remus and I were making up stories as to why Dumbledore was making mysterious house calls. We didn't know it was you specifically he was seeing but we thought it might as well be a possibility since you, a mysterious young man, turns up one day looking for Livetale Lane and the next day someone on that very street gets visited by the headmaster of Hogwarts."

"What were some of the ones you came up with?" asked Sirius, intrigued at the possible images he may portray.

Lily grinned at him. "Well there was this one, which was that you were an escaped prisoner from Azkaban."

Sirius mock glared at her. "So I look like a fugitive, do I?"

Lily laughed. "No, no, we were just making stuff up – but wait - we're getting off the subject. What are you moving to Hogwarts for?" At the look of uncertainty on his face she smiled. "I won't tell anyone if you don't want me too."

There was something about Lily that said she could be trusted. Sirius had never been one to dish out secrets, but in truth, he didn't really mind right now. She was very open and it felt like they'd known each other for years. It wasn't revealing any deep-dark-secrets anyway, so it didn't really matter.

"Well, I left home to come live here, and quit school – I used to go to Durmstrang. Somehow Dumbledore heard about it and offered me a place at Hogwarts. I'm starting after the holidays. I'll be in sixth year." He didn't elaborate on the _reasons_ he ran away.

"Brilliant! That's what I'm in."

A thought suddenly occurred to Sirius. "So, does Remus go to Hogwarts too?" he asked, trying to sound like he wasn't terribly keen to get an affirmative answer.

Lily seemed to pick up on this. She raised an eyebrow at him. "Why? Would you be completely heartbroken if he didn't?" she teased.

Sirius felt himself blush slightly but tried to brush it off. "No, I was just wondering, is all."

"Well, you're in luck, because he does go to Hogwarts and is in the same year level as us, too. Hopefully you'll be sorted into Gryffindor and we can all be in the same house as well."

"That would be cool."

At that moment, a small blonde girl in pigtails ran into the kitchen.

"Lily! Come with me!" cried Nymphadora. On noticing Sirius in the kitchen as well, she stopped and became suddenly shy. "You can come too, if you want," she mumbled.

Sirius smiled at her. "I should actually go and get changed," he said, gesturing to his pyjamas.

"See you later then," Lily said as she took Nymphadora's hand and was pulled out of the kitchen.

Sirius followed, but as the girls went off to the back of the house, he took the stairs up to his room. He found a t-shirt in the bottom of a trunk that he was still to unpack and pulled it on. This was followed with a pair of old, washed out, dark grey jeans. He looked at himself in the mirror propped up against the far wall. He'd been so used to wearing robes everyday, even at home, that this casual dressing would take some getting used to.

After he'd gotten himself a bite from the kitchen he went in search of the girls. There was nothing else for him to do and he could at least try to get some more information out of Lily.

* * *

Andromeda came home at 3 o'clock and found Sirius, Lily, and Dora playing in the back living room with an assortment of Dora's favourite dolls. She watched, amused, as Sirius awkwardly manoeuvred a male doll dressed in black around a pretend forest made from stacks of blocks.

He rather regretted getting roped into playing with the girls, as he had no previous experience dealing with small children and their games, but was undoubtedly thankful that Dora had wanted to play 'Aurors and Baddies' instead of something extremely girly that involved weddings, makeovers or tea parties. It would have been awfully embarrassing if he'd had to dress up and pretend to be a bridesmaid, or worse, a _flower girl_. Sirius shuddered at the very thought.

After a few more attempts at acting out a "good vs. evil" scene with plastic dolls, Sirius noticed Andy standing at the door and announced her presence.

"Mummy!" Dora cried as she ran to hug her mum, and Lily stood, brushing down her sweater.

"Well, I'm glad you two have met," Andy said, smiling at Lily and Sirius.

"Me too," said Lily. "We had to figure out whether we were muggles or not and when Sirius said he was your cousin I was pretty sure he was a wizard but I thought I would play it safe in case he was a squib or something."

Lily laughed at the affronted expression on Sirius' face.

"I am not a squib!"

"Yes, well I didn't know that, did I?" she said.

Andy noticed Lily gathering her things. "Lily, dear, did you want to stay longer, for tea perhaps, or something to eat?"

"No thank you, Andy, I need to be off home soon. My mum wants me to come with her to drop off my sister Petunia at the train station."

"Why can't she just Floo, or take the Knight Bus?" asked Sirius.

Lily gave him a funny look before realising that he didn't know about her family.

"Oh, you don't know, do you? I'm muggle-born - the only magical person in the family. Imagine our surprise when we found out we'd been living in a town with witches and wizards for our whole lives!" She laughed at the memory.

"Where is your sister off to?" asked Andy conversationally, as Sirius tried not to show his surprise at this revelation. He shouldn't have been so surprised though, really. _Muggle-borns and Purebloods are exactly the same,_ he reminded himself.

"She's staying at a friend's house over the summer. I think they live somewhere in the South," said Lily in response to Andy's question.

"I see. Well, say 'hello' to her and your mum for me!"

Lily smiled. "I will."

Andy turned to Sirius who was sitting on the arm of the couch. "Sirius, I thought we'd go out today to get some things for you."

"Sure," he said. Normally, he would have detested going shopping, but he was rather curious as to what the town looked like.

"Wait one second, Lily, and we'll walk you home," said Andy, quickly summoning a coat and shoes for Nymphadora.

As they dropped Lily off at her house, Andy told Sirius her agenda for their shopping trip.

"You seem to have all the clothes you need, so I thought we could just get some basic things for your room. This is a good opportunity for me to get some shopping done for the house too," said Andy on their way to the shops.

* * *

The long main street of Abilene never lacked shoppers as it was the prime area for everyone's shopping needs. Sirius followed Andy to a nearby bedding store. There were no other customers in the shop and the plump sales assistant came bustling up to them.

"Hello there! Can I help you with anything today?" she asked.

"Yes, actually. I was wondering whether you have any dirt-repelling sheets in stock," asked Andy.

As the lady went to check out the back for the requested items Sirius started as a sudden thought came to his head.

"Andy! How do you know that woman is a witch!? What if she's a muggle?" he asked.

Andy chuckled. "Of course – I haven't explained everything to you yet!

"Well, you see, as you know, Abilene has a mixed community, and the magic-folk have a small 'council', you could say, who help keep things in order. A few years ago, the muggle/magic-folk situation became a bit out of hand, with many reportings of people accidentally mistaking muggles as wizards or witches, and it all became a bit of a fiasco. The council decided to set up a few rules and now all shop-assistants and shop-keepers must wear a badge if they are magical. Only the magical community can see them, therefore they can distinguish between the muggle and magical sales people. Even some of the general magic population wear them to make it easier for everyone. The same rule applies for stores that sell magical items. They have a sticker on the window of the store that only we can see and these shops usually have a back section full of magical objects which only we can see and enter."

"Oh," said Sirius, a little overwhelmed with the load of information. "How can you tell if it's a magical badge or a normal muggle one?"

At this point, the sales assistant came back and Sirius could see for himself the answer to his question.

The sales assistant's badge was a butterfly and it glowed, giving out a pinkish light which pulsed in sync with her heartbeat. Sirius didn't think _normal_ badges did that. The assistant gave him a friendly smile, handed the sheets Andy had asked for to him, and asked if she could help with anything else.

The rest of the afternoon's shopping excursion passed quickly. Sirius was enjoying himself, much to his surprise. He had expected to find it tedious following Andy and Nymphadora around as they meandered about looking in shops, as all teenage boys usually did, but he soon found that shopping trips with Andy were quite different. She didn't dawdle and spend forever in a shop that possessed nothing she needed; she got straight to the point – finding what she wanted, buying it, and leaving. Along with shopping however, the trip turned out also to be a sort of mini tour – at least of the main street. Sirius learnt about many of the town's residents and had fun looking at people's badges which he had learnt were personalised to their owner.

Sirius and Andy exited the last shop for the day, their arms full of goods. Some of the larger items Andy had either ordered to be delivered to their house or shrunk to fit in her bag. The rest they had decided to carry.

Stepping out onto the cobble-stoned foot path, a voice calling "Andy!" made them turn.

A lady, quite a few years older then Andy, was walking towards them. She was of medium height, slender and had a kind smile on her face. Her light brown hair was brushed neatly and she was carrying a bag of groceries in her arms.

"Oh, hi there, Wendy!" said Andy smiling. "How are you?"

"Oh, as well as one can hope. Yourself?"

As Andy replied Wendy looked at Sirius curiously. "And who is this dashing young man?"

"Oh, this is my cousin Sirius. Sirius, this is our neighbour, Wendy Lupin."

At that moment a boy, laden with paper grocery bags stuffed full of goods, came out of the shop next to them, calling, "Mum!? Where are you?"

"Over here, darling! I'm just talking to Andy," said Wendy.

As the boy finally managed to rearrange his parcels into a position that he could see above, he came over to them.

"Remus!" exclaimed Sirius, upon recognising the face. The boy looked surprised that Sirius knew his name. In answer to the unasked question, Sirius said, "I remembered from the other day."

The two women, who had been watching their exchange in some surprise, resumed their own conversation with a secret smile and moved over to a nearby bench where they could talk more comfortably.

The two boys looked at each other. "You're the guy I ran into the other day!" said Remus.

Sirius nodded and smiled, "Yeah, sorry about that."

"Well, I'm Remus Lupin. But you know that already," he said with a returning smile.

Sirius mentally kicked himself for getting himself into a situation where it would have been extremely rude (and suspicious) if he didn't tell Remus his name. _It would have happened sooner or later,_ he tried to console himself.

"I'm Sirius Black."

Remus heard an undertone of defensiveness in Sirius' voice when he stated his name. _To be expected I suppose, _he thought. Yes, Remus knew who the Blacks were. But he didn't really care about the fact. Andy was a Black after all, and she wasn't arrogant or crazy at all.

"Cool," Remus said. "So you're a relative of Andy's?" he asked.

The fact that Remus hadn't turned automatically stiff and extremely polite at the mention of his name caused an extreme sense of relief to course through Sirius. He knew that Remus recognised and knew his name and family (due to the fact that he'd asked the question about Andromeda, whose last name was now Tonks), but the fact that Remus didn't care and was being friendly to him meant more to Sirius than he could explain. He flashed Remus a dazzling smile.

"Yeah, I'm her cousin."

"Wicked," Remus replied, wondering why, upon seeing that dazzling smile, a lone butterfly had found its way into his stomach and begun fluttering about.

While the boys talked, Andy and Wendy watched them, smiling.

"I'm glad Remus has a new friend to play with this summer," said Wendy.

Andy laughed, "They're a bit old to have 'play friends', but yes, it'll be good for both boys. Sirius is starting Hogwarts this year and it's good he's already making friends. He's already met Lily Evans."

"That's good. She'll keep him in line. Imagine what'll happen when he meets James Potter!" Both women laughed.

"Well, I'd better be heading back soon. Dora's probably getting tired," said Andy nodding to the girl beside her who was busily knotting the ends of her coat together.

"Oh, we've just finished shopping too. How about we walk back together? Let the boys talk some more," said Wendy.

"A splendid idea! Come on boys, we're going home now," she called to the pair who had seemed to be talking amiably.

As they walked home, Sirius and Remus a few steps behind the two older women and young girl, Remus learnt that Sirius was actually now his neighbour, that he was transferring from Durmstrang to Hogwarts for the next two years and that he had already met Lily. As the group reached the joining fence of number 22 and 24, they split.

"I really must borrow that cupcake recipe from you some time, Andy!" called Wendy as she and Remus walked up their lightly winding garden path and Andy, Sirius and Dora did the same on the other side of the low wire fence.

"Sure thing!" came the reply. Remus glanced over and saw Sirius was looking back at him. The dark haired boy gave him another of his dazzling smiles and a small wink and turned to walk up the front steps. Remus felt an answering smile form on his lips, and again he wondered what on _Earth_ that butterfly was getting up to.

* * *

_**A/N:**__ Hope you liked it! I'm sure I'm not the only author who appreciates reviews, so I thought I'd leave you with the saying that was constantly drilled into us at Primary School: _"Treat others how you'd like to be treated."

:)


	4. Dinner at the Lupin's

**Disclaimer:** I still don't own it. Fancy that…

**Author's Note:** SOOOO sorry this took so long! My beta and I do, in-fact, have lives so I didn't really have time to post. It is here now however, and I do hope you all enjoy it; it's the longest chapter yet! Oh, and please review! It is greatly appreciated :)

* * *

**Chapter Four: Dinner at the Lupin's**

The next few days Sirius spent organizing his room. He told himself that this was _not_ something that only girls do; that normal guys like him liked to have everything where it was supposed to be, too.

Everything that Sirius and Andy had ordered at the Main Street had finally arrived. Sirius had picked out a large and comfortable red and gold duvet, which was currently adorning his bed. A large armchair that Andy had bought for the room sat in the corner, looking slightly ruffled with an assortment of dirty clothes and general nonsense Sirius hadn't yet found a home for thrown on top. The four suitcases which had housed the belongings he had deemed important enough to escape with him from Grimmauld Place had also been unpacked. Sirius' clothes had been put in the built-in-robe located in the right wall and his books placed on the bookshelf near the door. The desk under the window was littered with quills, parchment and inkbottles, and on the corner of it stood a sneakoscope his Great Uncle Albert had given him.

So he liked to have his things where they were supposed to be; it didn't mean it had to be _neat._

Currently, Sirius was sitting on a park bench. He'd woken early, at 7.30, and had decided to go on one of his walks. During the last few days, along with helping Lily baby sit some of the time, he'd taken to exploring some of the surrounding area of his new home. This park had caught his eye on his last walk, but he hadn't had enough time to go in. The park, which looked quite small from the periphery, was actually quite large once you entered it. Sirius' attention was drawn towards a dense area of trees and he stood up and headed off in the direction of the foliage.

* * *

Remus was in the kitchen, making himself some lunch, when his mother returned from her shopping trip.

"Hi Mum. You've been gone a while. "

"I was in the supermarket when I decided to have the Tonks' and their new arrival over for dinner tonight."

"Oh," responded Remus around a mouthful of carrot sandwich.

Wendy Lupin frowned at her son. "Don't talk with your mouth full, dear."

Remus swallowed at smiled at his mum. "Do you want me to take over the invitation?"

"Thank you, love, that would be marvellous," Wendy said as she unpacked the groceries. "Just tell them to come over at seven."

As Remus headed for the kitchen door he realised that Andy and Ted wouldn't be home yet.

"Mum, Andy and Ted are still at work," he said.

"Oh yes, that's right. Well, Lily will be there, won't she? And Sirius? How about you go over and wait with them for Andy to get back – she'll be home soon, it's almost three. And invite Lily to dinner too!" she rambled as she began to prepare the marinade.

Remus walked over to the house next door, finishing his sandwich on the way.

He could hear music playing inside and had to knock three times before a disgruntled looking Lily finally opened the door and let him in.

"Sorry," she said as he followed her down the hallway into the back room, where the music (now thankfully quieter) was coming from. "I couldn't hear a thing."

Remus shook his head. "Don't worry about it," he said.

Nymphadora waved up at him from her position on the floor. "Hi, Remus."

He smiled at the girl. "Hey, Dora."

"Dora, do you think you could turn that down a bit?" asked an exasperated Lily, gesturing to the small TV the girl lay before.

Nymphadora gave her a very petulant five-year-old glare in return. "You said I could listen to it how I wanted, as long as it didn't go over forty," she said.

Lily turned away so the girl couldn't see her roll her eyes. "Do you think you'll be OK in here while Remus and I go to the front room?" she gave in.

Dora nodded.

"Just don't put it up anymore," warned Lily, as she pulled Remus out into the hallway.

He gave her a questioning look as they headed towards the front room.

Lily rolled her eyes again. "She insisted on watching some musical television program, so I let her," Lily said. "Against my better judgement," she added, muttering. "But then she turned it up really, really loud and we had a fight over the remote."

Remus chuckled. "Lily - the_ prefect_ - fighting with a five year old? Tut, tut." He shook his head in mock disappointment.

Lily glared at him. "_Anyway_," she said after she had settled down on the couch. "We ended up making a compromise, and that was when I finally heard you knocking."

"Right," said Remus, amused.

"So, what are you doing here anyway? Not that I don't mind you popping by – you could do it more often, you know," she smiled at him.

"Mum's invited you and the Tonks' over for dinner. She told me to come over and wait until Andy gets home to tell her."

"Oh, cool, thanks," said Lily. "I assume Sirius is invited too?" she continued.

At the mention of Sirius' name, Remus realised that the boy in question wasn't there. "Yeah, of course. Where is he anyway?" he asked looking to the stairs leading to the upper landing, as if expecting the attractive boy to suddenly appear at the bottom of the staircase.

"I don't know actually. He wasn't here when I got here."

At that very moment, the door opened, letting in a wind-swept and ruffle-looking Sirius.

"Hey!" he grinned, catching sight of the two people in the front room.

Lily and Remus smiled and greeted him.

"We were just talking about you, actually," said Lily.

"Oh, really?" asked Sirius. Lily didn't miss the wink he gave Remus, and grinned.

"Yeah. We were wondering where you were; where'd you go?" she asked, as the boy took off his coat and sat down in one of the arm chairs. "You weren't here when I came around, and it's nearly three!"

Sirius smiled and shrugged. "I went for a walk."

"Pretty long walk," said Remus, lifting his eyebrows at the boy in the seat next to him.

Sirius shrugged again. "I was exploring."

Lily smiled at him. "And you didn't get lost? I mean, you've only been here a few days." she asked.

Remus laughed at Sirius' indignant expression.

"I, Sirius Black, do not get _lost_, thank you very much!" he said.

Lily joined in with Remus' laughter. "Alright," she said after they stopped. "Find anything interesting while exploring?"

"Not particularly. There's this awesome hidden lake thing, though, in the park near here."

"Wow! You found that on your sixth day here!? It was _months_ before I came across that lake!" exclaimed Remus.

Sirius grinned. "I was _born _an explorer."

Fifteen minutes later, the front door opened yet again and Andy returned from work.

"Oh, hello you three!" she said as she came through into the room.

"Hello," they chorused.

Remus, remembering why he had come over in the first place, got up and followed Andy into the kitchen. Lily and Sirius got up too.

"Andy, my mum would like to invite you, Ted, Nymphadora and Sirius over for dinner tonight," he said.

Andy smiled at him. "Oh, how nice! Why, thank you very much, Remus. What time shall we come around?"

"Around seven."

"Splendid! Gives me enough time to make something to bring over."

Remus began to protest but Andy shushed him. "And it's a great opportunity to give your mum that cup cake recipe! Now I just need to remember where I put it." She began to rummage around in the pantry.

Sirius and Lily had sat down at the table. The dark haired boy grinned up at Remus when he turned around. "Thanks for the invite," he said.

"Don't thank me," said Remus, sitting down too.

The three teenagers watched as Andy continued looking for the elusive cooking book. "Oh!" she finally exclaimed in triumph. Pulling her head out of the cupboard, she turned to them, empty handed. "I think I know where I put it!" Andy turned to her cousin. "Sirius, could you go up to your room and get the recipe book out of the box on the top shelf of your cupboard?" At the questioning look the three teenagers gave her, she smiled. "I had to hide it last week because Dora was convinced she was going to make a batch of 53 cookies covered in icing sugar and sprinkles. I didn't want my kitchen destroyed."

They laughed, and Sirius stood up. "Sure," he said.

"Can we come?" asked Lily.

He gave her a funny look. "Why wouldn't you be able to come?"

Lily shrugged and smiled at him. "Some guys don't like people in their room."

"Whatever," laughed Sirius as he made his way into the hallway. "It's not like I care whether you see my brilliant and amazing room."

Laughing, the three made their way upstairs to Sirius' room. When they entered, Sirius made his way to the cupboard. Over his shoulder he said, "Excuse the mess."

Lily and Remus grinned at each other as they caught sight of the red and gold covering of Sirius' bed.

"Who chose the bed covers?" asked Remus, smiling at Sirius' back.

"I did."

Lily and Remus grinned at each other again.

"All that's missing is a great big, stuffed lion," said Lily and Remus laughed.

Sirius turned around, a frown of confusion gracing his features. "What?"

Remus shook his head. "Don't worry, it's nothing."

As Sirius inspected the book he'd pulled out to see if it was in fact the sought-for recipe book, Remus moved over to the window.

"Hey! Our rooms are opposite each other!" he said.

"Really?" asked Sirius, coming over to stand near the desk. He looked out into the window opposite.

Lily came over to stand on Remus' other side, next to the desk. "You can spy on each other!" she whispered into Remus' ear. He rolled his eyes at her.

"You can't really see much though," Sirius said as if he'd heard her.

Losing interest in the scene, they turned to the door. "Come on!" said Sirius, waving the recipe book at them.

* * *

At seven, the Tonks' made their way over to their next door neighbours' house. Lily and Remus had left shortly after they'd given Andy her recipe book, and Sirius had helped his cousin make apple and rhubarb crumble, a feat he had surprisingly enjoyed being a part of. After Ted came home from work and put Dora in the bath, Sirius showered and put on some fresh clothes.

He came down at quarter to seven and Ted whistled. "You spruce up quite nicely. Trying to impress someone, are we?" he winked at Sirius, who flushed.

"No," he said.

Ted chuckled to himself as he followed Sirius into the kitchen.

"Why, Sirius, don't you look dashing?" Andy said as they entered.

Sirius blushed again. He honestly hadn't wanted to go overboard on his outfit. He was wearing black trousers that clung to his figure quite nicely and a silver shirt that brought out the colour of his eyes. _Maybe I'd better change_, he thought.

Ted, sensing his uncertainty, clapped him on the back. "Don't worry, Sirius. You look absolutely fine."

* * *

The Lupin's doorbell rang at precisely 7 o'clock. Remus went to open the door and blinked as he took in the sight before him. Sirius stood on the door step, grinning and holding a plate of delicious-looking crumble, and, Remus decided, looking quite delicious himself. Before he let his thoughts and eyes roam to other places, he stepped back and let him through. Andy, Ted and Nymphadora followed.

Before Remus closed the door, the boy saw Lily coming up the street so he walked down to his fence to meet her.

"Welcome, Miss Evans, to my humble abode," he said, opening the low gate for her.

She laughed and gave a curtsey. "It is my pleasure entirely, Mr. Lupin," she said, taking his arm.

They entered the house, and found Sirius had already been introduced, and the guests seated at the dining table.

"Come on, Lily, you sit here," said Wendy, after she and everyone had greeted the girl.

She gestured to a seat next to Remus' dad, John.

"Remus, you sit here."

Remus lowered himself into the chair indicated, and found himself sitting opposite Sirius, who grinned at him. Remus grinned back. Their grinning contest was subsequently cut short as dinner began to be served, and all thoughts were diverted to the glorious food prepared by Mrs. Lupin.

* * *

As Remus shifted in his seat, he felt his feet knock into someone else's. Lifting his head, he saw Sirius look up from his plate and Remus's quickly retracted his feet, a light blush creeping up his cheeks. Sirius smiled at him from across the table and Remus had to fight the strange urge to knock his feet into Sirius's again.

* * *

An hour later found Sirius, Lily and Remus on the floor of Remus' room. They were positioned in a wonky triangle in the space between Remus' bed and the wall.

"You know, we don't know at all that much about each other," said Lily, hugging her knees to herself.

"You guys know each other," Sirius pointed out.

Lily rolled her eyes in exasperation. "Yeah, but you don't know anything about us; and we know hardly anything about you."

"So what are you proposing, Lily?" asked a smiling Remus.

"I don't know…" she paused in thought. "Let's ask each other questions; anything we want to know."

"Like what?"

"I don't know! Why are you making this so difficult?" asked Lily, starting to get annoyed.

Sirius grinned at her. "It's so easy to rile you up," he said while Remus snickered. Since Remus was closer, Lily leant over and swatted him on the arm.

"Hey!" he cried mock indignantly.

"Okay, let's just think of some questions. Like I said before, anything you want to know or feel like asking, just ask."

There was silence for a few seconds before the dark haired boy said "I can't think of anything."

"Sirius!" cried Lily, laughing despite herself.

During the quiet that followed, all decided to postpone the more 'important' questions they had in their head for another time. They didn't want to ruin their enjoyable evening with any heart-felt discussions, secret-sharing and sombre topics.

"What's your favourite colour?" asked Lily, jumping on the first random question that popped into her mind.

Sirius smiled and shrugged. "I don't know. Blue, I guess. What's yours?" he asked Remus.

"I like green," said Remus shrugging. "But colours aren't a topic I really think much about."

"Well, mine's red," put in Lily.

Sirius laughed. "Figures."

For a good half hour they shot questions at each other; ranging from the classic 'If you could take any three things on an island what would you take?' to the more absurd, 'If you owned a goat, what would you name it?' If they got onto a good topic they'd stick to it until it had been exhausted. Currently, it was Sirius' turn to ask a question.

"Do you have a girlfriend?" he shot at Remus.

Lily chuckled.

"Um, no, I don't."

"Do you have a boyfriend?"

Remus coloured while Lily attempted to stifle her giggles even more.

"Nope, I don't have a boyfriend either," said Remus and Sirius smiled.

"He did though," said a highly amused Lily. Remus glared at her.

"Oh?" said Sirius, intrigued. "Pray tell."

Remus rolled his eyes and pretended not to care.

"Oh, it was nothing really. His name was Richard and he was in the year above us. Remus broke his heart by telling him he didn't think their relationship felt _right _anymore," Lily told Sirius.

"Well, I did catch him snogging Patricia Jacobs in a broom cupboard, so excuse me for feeling there wasn't something quite right with the whole thing," interjected Remus, bitterly. "Can't see why he was with me when he obviously liked girls more."

Lily patted his shoulder and said, "Oh no, he liked guys too. I heard he said you were the best kisser he'd ever been with."

A light colouring spread over Remus cheeks and the look Sirius was giving him was making his heart start to race, so Remus decided to get the limelight onto someone else.

"So do _you_ have a boyfriend?" he asked Sirius pointedly.

Sirius grinned. "Nup."

Lily raised an eyebrow at him.

"What!?" asked Sirius. "Why do you just expect me to be in a relationship?"

"Oh, you know, you are just inexplicably gorgeous," said Lily, chuckling. "Not to mention rich."

Sirius rolled his eyes. "Yeah well, my last attempt didn't go so well."

"What happened?" asked Remus and was surprised to see Sirius blush.

"Let's just say that it left a mark. Literally," he added.

"Literally?" repeated Lily, frowning.

Sirius lifted up his shirt, revealing a scar running for two inches on the left side of his stomach.

Lily whistled while Remus tried not to stare at Sirius' exposed (and quite good looking) stomach.

"What did you _do_?" asked Lily, incredulously.

"I sort of - um - kissed this guy - and um – well, I don't think he liked it much, because he hexed me," said Sirius embarrassedly.

Lily burst out laughing. "Oh, you poor, poor soul!" she cried and went to hug him.

Remus was laughing too, but at Sirius' affronted expression as Lily patted him on the head.

"Why did you kiss him?" asked Remus once they had returned to their triangular position.

Sirius gave him a pointed look. "Why do you think?"

"Yeah, but didn't you know he didn't like guys?"

Sirius flushed. "Well, he was giving me all the signs, but I obviously interpreted them wrong."

Remus and Lily snickered while Sirius glared at them.

Moving on, they continued to play the question game. However, they stopped after a few more rounds, deciding that they couldn't come up with any other worthwhile questions.

Sirius rolled over onto his stomach, the left side of his shirt riding up a little to expose a tanned side. Remus tried not to stare.

"Do you want to go steal some more apple and rhubarb crumble?" asked Remus, trying to distract himself. He was actually beginning to become quite peckish too.

Sirius grinned and got up. "Sure. Coming, Lily?"

"You bet." She got up too.

Before they left Remus' room, the auburn haired boy cautioned them. "Remember, we have to be _really_ quite so they don't hear us."

Making their way down the stairs silently, they passed the opening to the living room on tip-toes. They could hear John and Ted discussing the politics of the Ministry of Magic, and Wendy and Andy discussing the possible variations of the cupcake recipe Sirius had brought down from his room earlier. They entered the kitchen without incident and collectively let a breath they hadn't realised they'd been holding, go.

The reason for such secrecy and sneaking was due to the fact that Wendy had expressly forbidden them from eating any more of the crumble, as they had already had their fair share of the delectable dessert.

"Alright, Lily, you keep a look out," whispered Remus, slipping into mischief-making mode. He gestured to Sirius to come closer. "OK, on the count of three, you lift the lid and I'll get some of the crumble on this plate," he whispered.

Sirius nodded, his eyes and face lit up with adrenalin and suspense. Remus thought he looked quite breathtaking. Tearing his eyes away from the face, he prepared himself.

"One… two… three!"

Sirius lifted the lid but before Remus could scoop up any crumble, a shrill whistling started.

"Gah! She charmed it! Run!" yelled Remus in a whisper.

Sirius grabbed the whole platter and followed Remus and Lily at a sprint. The three teenagers raced up the hallway, noises of Wendy and Andy hurrying out to catch the thieves following them, and dashed up the stairs. The sound of Wendy calling "Remus!" trailed behind them as the adults reached the kitchen to find the crumble missing. Lily, Remus and Sirius piled into Remus' room and shut the door. From the other side, they could hear Wendy calling "Remus! Give back that crumble _now_!" She didn't sound at all angry, however, and they sighed in relief. Panting, Remus opened the door a crack and called down "I don't know what you're talking about!"

"Yes you do! Where's the crumble gone?"

"I don't know. Maybe the cat stole it."

There was a second of silence before, "We don't have a cat!" Chuckling, she desisted and returned to the living room.

Remus shut the door again and turned around. All three burst out laughing at the same time.

"That was so cool!" gasped Sirius.

"Now I know what it feels like to be you, James and Peter when you're on one of your adventures!" said Lily, her eyes brimming in mirth.

Remus just laughed. "I can't believe she charmed the thing to warn her if it was being stolen!" he cried between bursts of glee.

Sirius eyed him. "Does this happen regularly?" he asked, amused and suspecting.

Remus grinned at him. "Well, I don't usually get caught…."

Sirius laughed again.

"See, this is life with Remus Lupin," said Lily chuckling. "Not boring at all."

"You always have fun with me," said boy told them. Feeling quite exuberant on his mischief-making-high, he winked at Sirius.

"I can't wait," said Sirius, flopping down on Remus' bed. Remus let his eyes take in the attractive boy sprawled on his bed before he moved over, and shoved Sirius to give him and Lily some room. They proceeded to devour their prize before a knock on the door disturbed them.

Nymphadora came in. "Mum says we have to go home," she said to Sirius. Then she turned to Lily. "And she said we'd walk you home, too."

The little girl turned and walked out of the room. The three on the bed laughed at the random interruption.

Finishing their pieces of crumble, they made their way downstairs.

"Tonight was fun," said Lily, on the way.

"It was indeed. Who knew you'd turn out to be so naughty?" Sirius teased Remus, winking at him.

Remus pushed the boy lightly, ignoring the faint blush on his cheeks. Thankfully it was dark in the hallway.

"And who knew _you_ would be so bad at reading signals that you kiss a bloke and get hexed in return," said Remus in retaliation.

Lily laughed as Sirius glared at them both.

The three waited in comfortable silence near the front door as the adults said their goodbyes.

The Lupins escorted their guests down the garden path.

"We should do something tomorrow," said Lily to Remus and Sirius.

"Aren't you babysitting?"

"No, I have Fridays off, remember? We'll show you some cool stuff around Abilene, right Remus?"

"Sure thing. See you tomorrow!" Remus smiled at them as they headed off down the street.

* * *

Remus fell onto his bed, exhausted. As he lay there, staring at the dark ceiling, a musky but sharp scent invaded his nostrils. It had a hint of spice and the faintest bite of mint to it, and Remus knew straight away who it belonged to. _Sirius_.

_Merlin, I've only known him a few days and I already know what he smells like?_ He thought shaking his head bemusedly. But he couldn't help it. And he couldn't believe that he had become attracted to the boy so quickly. _Note to self: go to library and research the topic of attraction and the possibility/likelihood of becoming attracted to a person so goddamn quickly. _

He honestly wondered whether it was normal. _Maybe it was love at first sight_. Remus' eyes blinked open in alarm. _Where the hell did _that_ thought come from? No need to get ahead of yourself there, Remus,_ he scolded himself. Sirius' scent must have addled his brain in some way.

Reflecting on the evening's events, he grinned. Lily was right; it really had been a fun night.

* * *

**A/N: **I hope you all liked it! Please review; they inspire me to write more and faster! Cheers! :)


	5. Extremely attractive, halfnaked boys

**Disclaimer: **I _wish _I was J.K Rowling and that I owned Harry Potter. I am not and I don't. That's that.

**Author's Note:** I'm BACK! Hallelujah! I am soooooo sorry that it has taken me this long to post and I hope this chapter somewhat makes up for my long absence. If not, feel free to chuck garbage at me. :)

Thanks a BILLION for all the reviews I've gotten. They make me feel so good and work harder (even though it mightn't seem like it). I love you all. Enjoy!

* * *

**Chapter Five: Extremely attractive, wet, half-naked boys**

The next morning, Lily woke up bright and early. She smiled as she looked up at her white ceiling. _No babysitting today,_ she thought, happily. _I get the day to relax._ Then she remembered her promise to Sirius to give him a real tour of Abilene. Instead of groaning at the thought of not having a relaxing day after all, she grinned. _This is going to be fun!_

Lily had noticed the chemistry between Remus and Sirius almost immediately. Granted, it was faint, as they hardly knew each other, but it was there and Lily couldn't wait to see what became of it. _It's about time Remus moves on from his previous, disastrous relationship with Richard._ She had been ecstatic to learn last night that Sirius did indeed like boys, and that she hadn't missed the subtle attempts from both young men to garner information about the other's romantic status.

She lay in bed for another few minutes, before getting up and donning her clothes for the day. By 9 o'clock she was out of the house and heading in the direction of 22 Livetale Lane.

The air was crisp as she walked the short distance to Remus' house. Knowing that her friend would be up, she made her way up the same path she had trodden only yesterday evening and knocked on the door. Remus answered a few seconds later, a toothbrush in his mouth. He attempted to greet her around a mouthful of foam but she stopped him before he could welcome her with spray instead of words.

Once inside, Remus held up his finger in an 'I'll be back in a minute' gesture and headed back to the bathroom. Lily perched on the couch in the living room, waiting.

"Hey Lils," said Remus, returning from the land of toothbrushes and toothpaste.

She smiled at him. "Morning! Did you have fun cleaning up last night?"

The auburn-haired boy grimaced. "Mum made me do _all _the dishes before I went to bed because of the whole crumble thing."

Lily laughed. "Serves you right, you naughty boy," she said waggling her finger.

Remus huffed good-naturedly.

"So, are you up for a good ol' tour of our little village?" asked Lily, leaning back on the sofa.

Remus smiled. "Sure am. I'll just get my stuff."

He grabbed his coat, and they headed out to pick up Sirius. Luckily, they didn't have to walk far. Lily knocked on the red door of the Tonks household.

"Hello kids!" said Ted warmly as he opened the door.

Remus and Lily smiled at him. "Hey Ted."

"Come on in, I'm sure you're here to see Sirius, yes?"

"That's right. Is he up yet?" asked Remus as he and Lily stepped over the threshold.

"Of course. He's actually in the shower at the moment."

A cry from the kitchen caught their attention. Ted frowned at the noise. "Excuse me guys, I think I need to go help Dora with her breakfast." He motioned to the stairs. "How about you go wait for him in his room?"

Before they could ask whether Sirius would mind this invasion of privacy, Ted had rushed off to attend to his daughter in the kitchen. Lily shrugged and motioned to the stairs. "I'm sure he won't mind."

They climbed up to the first floor and paused outside Sirius' door.

"Are you _sure_ he won't mind?" whispered Remus.

"I think so. Remember what he said yesterday? He doesn't mind people in his room," Lily whispered back.

"What if he's changing?"

"Well then I guess we get a good view, don't we?" Lily grinned and Remus tried to hide the blush that was inevitably forming due to his current thoughts.

"We'll knock anyway." After a pause, Lily frowned. "Why are we whispering?" she whispered.

Remus shrugged. "I don't know," he whispered back.

Lily chuckled, turning around to face the door once again. She knocked on the wood quietly. When they got no response, they opened it carefully and peeped inside.

Lily let the door swing open fully when they realised there was no one inside, and the two of them laughed at each other's earlier apprehension, before they walked into the room. Closing the door behind him, Remus went over to Sirius' unmade bed. Lily had already taken position in the desk chair, and on inspection, the auburn haired boy decided it safer not to move anything that was on the armchair in the corner.

Lily swung around to face him as he sat on the edge of the bed. She pointed at the Gryffindor coloured duvet.

"Do you reckon he knew those are our house colours?" she asked, smiling.

Remus grinned back and shook his head. "Doubt it. Unless Andy told him about Hogwarts or he read about it somewhere, I don't think he has any idea about the houses."

Lily grinned at her friend. "I bet he'll be in Gryffindor," she said happily.

"Of course. I mean, the colour of a person's bed spread is an exact indication of what Hogwarts house they belong in."

Lily rolled her eyes and shoved him playfully in the chest. Remus didn't protest and he allowed his body to fall back on the covers. As his head hit the mattress, the strong, musky but also spicy scent of Sirius washed over him. He inhaled deeply. His response to Lily's amused smile was cut short when they heard footsteps in the hallway outside the door. Before they could react, the door opened and a freshly showered Sirius walked in. For a moment, Remus thought the dark haired teenager was naked, and the auburn haired boy blushed furiously, but his eyes soon registered that a blue towel was wrapped around the other boy's waist.

The threesome stared at each other, Sirius pausing in the doorway, Lily sitting on his desk chair, and Remus looking up from a relaxed position on the bed.

Involuntarily, Remus' eyes followed the small drops of water dripping down from Sirius' damp hair, rolling down his bare chest and coming to rest at the top of the towel around his hips. Remus gulped.

"Um, hi," Lily recovered first, blushing at the awkward situation

"Hi," said Sirius, still standing in the doorway.

Lily grabbed Remus' hand and hauled him upright. "Sorry, we'll just wait outside."

Silently, Sirius moved into the room a bit to let them pass

Once in the corridor, with the door shut behind them, they turned to each other.

"Whoops," said Lily and grinned.

Remus was still blushing from the encounter. "I can't believe we just… he just…whoa," he finished incoherently.

Lily suppressed a giggle at her friend's stunned look. "Darl," she said, impersonating the patronising tone that nurses use when they explain something to a small child, "it's called an extremely attractive, wet, half-naked boy. You will have to learn to deal with these things in time." She patted him on the arm.

Remus, recovering slightly from his shock of seeing Sirius almost naked, glared at her, but the corners of his mouth twitched upwards.

They waited in the hallway for a minute or two before the door to Sirius' room opened once again. The now fully dressed boy stepped out and smiled at them sheepishly.

"Sorry about that. I wasn't expecting people to be in my room," he said.

"We're sorry too. Ted said to just wait up here, and it never occurred to us that… well… you know." Lily grinned at him.

Sirius looked at the so far silent Remus. "Morning there, Remus," he said.

Remus (who, on seeing the dark haired boy, had immediately imagined him half-naked again, and who had since been attempting to dispel these thoughts from his mind) blinked and looked up from where he'd been staring at the carpet.

"Oh, um, yeah, hi."

Sirius gave him an amused smile, and Remus silently cursed himself and the fact that his brain kept on sending him inappropriate images. Especially since he was still in the company of the boy who featured prominently in said images.

* * *

"So what are we going to do today?" asked Sirius as the three teenagers made their way up the street.

"I was thinking we could show you some of our favourite places around here," answered Lily as Sirius nodded.

"'Penelope and Amber's Ice Cream Galore,' most definitely," she continued. "And we can wander through some of the more interesting shops on the Main Street, too."

"Don't forget the library!" joined in Remus. "You _have_ to see the library."

Sirius stopped walking and gave Remus a horrified expression. "The library!? You've got to be joking! Please tell me he's joking!" cried Sirius, turning to Lily.

When she shook her head, Sirius flung his hand to his head in a damsel-in-distress sort of gesture. "Oh, the horror!" he cried dramatically. For all that he looked to be horrified, his eyes gave away that he was joking and the other two laughed.

"You know, the library isn't all that bad," said Remus as they resumed walking.

Sirius turned to him with large eyes. "But I've heard that there are little paper people that jump out of all the books, and they attack you with little paper swords when you least expect it!" he whispered, turning away from Remus, his eyes glassy as he imagined the little paper people and their horrible papery acts.

Lily and Remus rolled their eyes at Sirius' antics, and the red haired girl swatted Sirius' arm to snap him out of it.

"I'll be sure to protect you from the tiny little paper people then," said Remus, and Sirius grinned.

As the three teenagers reached the Main Street, they turned a little to the west and headed in the direction of Penelope and Amber's Ice Cream Galore.

"At least I get an ice-cream fix before I have to endure the horrors of the library," said Sirius as they walked across the street.

"Enough with the library already!" cried Remus. "It's really _not_ that horrible. I don't seem to get why nobody likes the place," he continued, grumpily murmuring something that sounded vaguely like "you're just like James".

"Relax, Remus! I joke, I joke," said Sirius, patting Remus' head and laughing as the boy slapped away his hand.

"Are you two finished with your boy banter?" asked Lily, amused, as she waited for them near the door of the ice cream parlour.

"Done and done," said Sirius as he held the door open for the other two. As he followed them inside his eyes were bombarded with an unimaginable amount of colours and images. He stopped short and stared around the room, drinking it all in.

Hearing Lily laugh, he turned to her and she smiled at him. "I know, right? It's amazing, isn't it?"

Sirius' eyes returned to the amazing array of ice-creams and sherbet displayed behind the glass countertop. His eyes went back and forth, marvelling at the variety of flavours.

"It's like Berttie Bott's Every Flavour Beans, only in ice-cream," he said in awe.

They made their way to look at the range of ice-creams more closely. The counter ran across the whole length of the room.

"Can I help you dears today?" said a very kind looking woman from behind the counter. As they looked up to answer, Sirius noted that the woman was a witch; he could tell from the dove shaped badge she wore that glowed creamy-white. Next to the badge was a nametag proclaiming that the wearer's name was 'Penelope'.

"We're just looking for now, thanks, Ms. Armette," said Lily politely.

Ms Armette tutted. "How many times have I told you to call me Penny!?" she said, smiling. "Just call me over when you're ready to order. I recommend the fruit-tingle flavour today!" she said as she walked away to tend to another customer.

"She's nice," said Sirius absently, his eyes returning to roam across the different flavours.

"She's also brilliant," said Remus. "She made up half the flavours here. Amber made up the other half," he added, quite unnecessarily.

They finally ordered: Sirius chose peppermint mixed with cookies and cream, Lily took Penelope's advice and chose fruit-tingle sherbet and Remus chose an interesting looking flavour that was called 'fudgemacoles'. When they'd also chosen a topping from the variety provided, they went to find a table.

"Merlin, this is delicious," said Sirius after his first mouthful.

Lily and Remus smiled. "Knew you'd like it," said the red haired girl.

They continued to munch on their ice-creams (as much as you can munch on ice-creams, anyway) while the two long-time residents of Abilene told Sirius about all the glorious ice-cream flavours they had ever come across here.

They were just half way through their ice-creams when a lady with brown, curly hair came up to their table and pulled up a chair. Remus and Lily didn't at all seem fazed by this.

"Hello Lily, Remus. How are you today?" she asked.

"We're great, thanks, Amber. How are you?" replied Remus.

"Oh, not too bad, not too bad. Oh, but forgive me! I notice you have a new addition to your group. Who is this dashing young man.?" She smiled at Sirius.

"This is Sirius Black. He's Andy's cousin. Sirius, this is Amber, the other half of this awesome shop."

Sirius having not expected introductions so soon was thrown off guard by this meeting. He noticed the flash of recognition in Amber's eyes when she heard his name, but was immensely relieved that she did not seem upset at his identity. _Maybe people aren't as bad as I think they are,_ he thought to himself. As if she had read his thoughts, Amber smiled kindly at him in understanding and gave a small wink.

"So, what do you think about our new flavour, Remus?" Amber said, moving the conversation along. Sirius relaxed and settled back in his seat, missing the glance Lily gave him as he was too busy noticing Amber's magical badge: a bell, which was glowing an amber colour. _I quite like this whole badge thing,_ thought Sirius. _They're sort of like patronuses, but not_.

Amber left them a moment later, satisfied that the new ice-cream flavour was going down nicely.

"I want more sprinkles," said Lily a while later, poking at her remaining scoop of ice cream.

"I'll go get you some," said Sirius, picking up her bowl. He then proceeded to manoeuvre Remus' bowl away from him, ignoring the boy's protests that he didn't have enough change for extra toppings. Sirius marched to the counter carrying their bowls and gave the shop assistant a dazzling smile.

Remus watched, amused and impressed, as Sirius unashamedly charmed his way into getting them extra toppings on their ice creams for no extra cost. He looked at Lily who raised her eyebrows in amusement and they continued to watch the dark haired boy flirt with the older woman.

After a few more minutes, Sirius left the giggling and blushing woman and headed back to their table, a triumphant grin on his face. He set the bowls down on the table with a flourish. "And that's how it's done."

Lily laughed and shook her head. "Impressive. Is that how you get everyone to do as you bid?"

Sirius looked at her solemnly. "It is a very rare and delicate art form, which I have, over time, masterfully perfected. It is named the 'Seriously Sirius Way of Subtly Manipulating Others'."

Lily and Remus laughed. "I feel sort of bad though," said the auburn haired boy, looking at his sprinkles guiltily.

"Tut, tut, Remus dear! You really must learn to not feel so sorry all the time! I really doubt the shop will miss a few Knuts," said Sirius.

They had finished their ice-creams, paid, and were out on the street ten minutes later.

"Now where?"

"To the library!" proclaimed Sirius imitating a battle cry, and flinging out his arm and pointing in an easterly direction.

"Sure, except that's not where the library is…" said Remus trying to hide his grin. He failed dismally.

Sirius mock glared at him, but turned and followed the others as they headed off.

The library came into sight just one minute later. It was a large, old looking, grey stone building, which looked like it had seen better days, and may have once been the old town hall. Although slightly rundown, it still held an unknown majestic power to it, and despite himself, Sirius walked up the large stone steps with interest.

So absorbed was he in looking around the building, he hadn't noticed that Remus was telling him about the library.

"…and the other half is for Muggles. They obviously can't see our half and so only think there's one entrance," finished Remus, pointing to the left of the warm foyer they had entered.

A little to their right was a doorway over which was a small sign. It showed a stack of books, a piece of parchment and a quill that was writing 'Library' over and over again. The stack of books kept on rearranging itself.

_Well, that's obviously the magical entrance,_ thought Sirius.

He followed Lily and Remus through the door and found himself in an extremely large, hall-like space, that didn't actually resemble anything like a hall apart from its shape. There were shelves upon shelves of old tomes, stacks of books everywhere, and a collection of tables in the centre of the room, over which bobbed a collection of lights suspended in mid-air. The whole place had a very cosy and homey feel to it, despite the obvious size of the place. Through large church-like windows filtered warm, golden sunlight that illuminated random piles of books and shelves.

"Lily! Remus!" A bouncy voice disrupted Sirius' observations and called the three teenager's attention to a desk surrounded by paper and books. It appeared to be the reception area.

"Alice!" chorused Lily and Remus. They began to make their way over to the sea of paper and parchment, Sirius following behind.

As they drew closer, Sirius could make out a young witch sitting at the desk, amongst an assortment of books and files. She had short, black hair, and pale skin. Sirius could make out bright blue eyes looking at them from behind black and red glasses, and as his eyes travelled across the desk, he saw that her hands were gripping an emerald green quill, her nails painted black. Close by sat a steaming cup of coffee and next to this, a plate with a scrumptious looking waffle on it.

"It's good to see you two!" said Alice as soon as they were close enough to talk to without shouting.

"You too!" said Lily, smiling at the young woman. "Alice, this is our friend Sirius, who moved here recently," she said, gesturing at Sirius, who smiled politely at Alice.

Alice's eyes sparkled as she looked at him.

"Going to be visiting the library as much as these two then?" she asked, nodding to Remus and Lily.

"Oh, um, yeah…" Sirius said embarrassedly. Libraries really weren't his thing. Not as much as Remus,' anyway.

Alice seemed to pick up on this and smiled widely. "Don't worry about it, love," she said, winking at him. She turned to Lily.

"How's that book I leant you? Are you enjoying it?" she asked.

"Oh!" said Lily. "I forgot I had it with me!"

She pulled out a thick book titled '_Charming those Charms_' and handed it to Alice.

"I've already finished it; it was brilliant! Thank you so much for lending it to me."

"I'm glad you liked it."

"I thought I'd give it back to you as soon as I finished it, since other people will probably want it too."

"Thank you darl, you're a gem!"

During this time, Sirius had taken the opportunity to inspect Alice's badge. It was, in contrast to her hair and attire, glowing a very pale pink and was in the shape of star.

"Come on, we'd better show you around, then," said Lily, pulling on his arm and subsequently pulling him out of his contemplative state. He realised that she'd finished talking to Alice and that the young librarian was in the middle of emerging from the sea of books surrounding her to lead Remus off into one of the more distant aisles of books.

"I just want to go check something with Alice, I'll see you guys in a bit," said Remus, smiling apologetically at Sirius.

The black haired boy, whose heart had for some unknown reason fluttered at Remus smile, just nodded. Lily pulled his arm again as Remus walked away.

"Show him the garden!" the auburn-haired boy called over his shoulder.

"Beware of the paper people, Remus!" called Sirius, and finally allowed himself be pulled away by Lily.

Sirius followed her to the back of the hall, where he could make out a small door. They passed through it and Sirius found himself in an enchanting, if small, indoor garden. There was a very high roof over their heads, but the garden was so breezy and fresh that it really felt like it was outside. Dotted here and there were small trees and bushes, and underfoot was soft grass and fallen leaves of a golden colour. In the middle of the garden stood an enchanted fountain which spilled ever changing coloured water from its spout.

"Pretty cool, huh?" said Lily smiling.

"For a garden," said Sirius and laughed as Lily tried to swat him on the arm.

He jumped out of reach and went to sit on a fence encircling the surrounding greenery. Lily came and sat down next to him.

They sat in silence, listening to the sound of rushing water for a few minutes, before Lily nudged Sirius in the side and said, "So, Mr. Black, I seem to have noticed that you don't like your name very much."

Sirius looked up at her quickly. This was the last thing that he'd been expecting her to talk about.

"What?" he asked, although he'd heard her perfectly.

"Back at Penelope's. You went all tense when Remus introduced you, and when we met for the first time, I had the feeling you didn't really want to say what your name was."

"Wow, you're really quite the perceptive one, aren't you?"

Lily smiled and shrugged.

After a few seconds, Sirius, who had been looking back at the fountain, glanced at Lily. "Yeah, well, I don't. Like my name, that is."

"It's only a name, Sirius," said Lily quietly.

Sirius had the feeling that she knew more about him than she'd let on, and told her so.

Lily smiled sheepishly at him. "I'm not as far gone as Remus, but I do research things I'm interested in."

Sirius raised an eyebrow at her and she rolled her eyes, swatting him on the arm. "You know what I mean."

Sirius chuckled. "Yeah, yeah."

Silence descended again, but Lily didn't make a move to break it. She knew that she had to be patient if she wanted the answers Sirius would hopefully provide.

Sirius had turned back, yet again, to the fountain. He smiled to himself at the thought of Lily doing a background check on him, but decided not to ask where she'd gotten her information; she'd probably asked Remus. Now that he had the opportunity, he found that he actually wanted to talk about his family with Lily. He'd never really had the chance to confide in anyone, and he trusted Lily to keep her silence if he asked. Sirius took a while collecting his thoughts and after a few minutes turned to face the red head.

"So, I'm assuming you know now about my family, and what they stand for."

Lily nodded, her attention focussed on him.

"Then why, do you think I'd _like_ being called a Black?"

"It's only a name," Lily repeated.

"Yes, but if you've grown up your whole life experiencing everything that comes with that name, then you wouldn't like it either, especially if you don't believe in any of that shit in the first place."

Lily was quiet, so Sirius continued.

"You don't know what it's like to be linked with your family so completely. At Durmstrang, I was respected out of fear. Everyone thinks that just because I'm a Black, I believe in all that prejudicial crap; that I hate muggle-borns and half-breeds; that I think I'm so much better than everyone else. I didn't want to practice Dark Magic, although half the time I was forced to. I knew I wasn't like my family from a very young age. I knew I was different for not believing the world would be better off being ruled by pure-bloods, I thought Dark Magic was dangerous, not something to be used against another person for no reason but spite and malice. At first I thought I had to change. I thought something was wrong with me; I tried so desperately to truly believe in what they did, but I never could. I just found it all so disgusting; their prejudice and pureblood fantasies were sick.

"Whenever someone hears my name, they automatically think that just because I'm a Black, I _must _believe in all they do. I've had it all my life: as soon as they hear my name their eyes change. I can tell what they think; it's either respect, fear or loathing. Not until I came here did I meet people who knew of my family but were actually willing to give me a chance. It was a miracle.

"So yes, I dread every time I have to be introduced because I know just how my name is tainted. I hate it so much. That's practically why I ran away. I couldn't deal with being surrounded by people who knew who I was and treated me accordingly. I'm not like my family; I believe in nothing they believe in and they hated me for it. Oh, and it didn't help that I was gay too," Sirius smiled wryly.

"Wow," was all Lily could say.

Sirius gave her a sad smile. "I'm sorry to burden you with all this. I've never unloaded on someone like that."

Lily smiled and squeezed his arm. "Thank you for telling me. I understand so much better now."

"I actually can't believe I just said all that stuff. I must have sounded like such a girl!" said Sirius, laughing and even slightly giddy after getting everything off his chest.

Lily chuckled and shook her head. "Don't worry about it. I won't tell a soul that you had a bit of a girly moment there."

They laughed, the tension and seriousness of the previous moments evaporating. Both teenagers were glad.

They sat in silence for a minute more before Sirius stood up.

"Come on, let's go save Remus from those little paper people," he said.

Lily got up and followed him but before they'd reached the door to go back into the library, Sirius felt arms encircling him from behind. Surprised but pleased he hugged Lily back as best he could. Then they proceeded through the door, both in silent agreement to not mention this again.

They spotted Remus disappearing down a far aisle of books and headed in that direction. Sirius, sensing an opportune moment for theatrics, crept over quickly to the opening of the books Remus had vanished through.

Jumping out from behind a stack of volumes on vampires, Sirius drew an imaginary sword and charged down the aisle towards the startled auburn-haired boy.

"Do not fear, Sirius is here!"

"So you are," he heard Remus mutter.

"I am here to save you from the little paper people!" cried Sirius, undeterred by Remus' lack of enthusiasm and Lily's chuckles as she came up behind him.

"Who says I need saving?" asked Remus, lifting a disapproving eyebrow, but the corners of his mouth twitched upwards.

"I do!" cried Sirius dramatically, who then proceeded to jump around having an imaginary sword fight with imaginary paper people.

Remus turned back to the book shelf, no longer able to hide the grin at his friends' antics.

* * *

**A/N:** I hope you liked it. Please review to tell me what you think!:)


	6. Lost and Found

**Disclaimer: **Would it shock the socks off of you if I said I didn't own Harry Potter, and that I was writing this for my own personal benefit? No, I don't think so.

**Author's Note: **Thank you soooooo much to everyone who reviewed! You all deserve a massive hug, a large box of cookies and your choice of an afternoon with one of our two favourite boys! ;) Another massive thank you goes to my beta **amberbelle** who is just plain awesome!

I wasn't entirely happy with this chapter when I wrote it, but I've fixed it up a bit and am OK with it now. I hope you guys find it acceptable. Read on!

* * *

**Chapter Six: Lost and Found**

_June 15th, 1975,_

_Remus,_

_How's holiday life treating you? I hope you aren't doing any unnecessary study, because I may just have to hit you if you are. _

_My Uncle Arthur broke his leg during a hike up some mountain, so my family's come back from France earlier than expected. _

_I'm bored out of my mind here and I could really do with a change of scenery._

_Hope all is well,_

_James_

_

* * *

June 16__th__ 1975_

_Dear James,_

_I congratulate you on your unsubtle attempt to invite yourself over. I asked my mum and she said it's fine for you to stay for the rest of the holidays._

_Trust _you_ to think that holiday work is unnecessary. You're going to regret it next term._

_There's a new guy in town. He's moved here from Durmstrang, but he's not that bad. I reckon you two will get on like a house on fire._

_See you soon,_

_Remus_

_

* * *

June 17__th__ 1975_

_Brilliant! My parents said to make sure that it's fine with you and your parents if I come and stay. I know you love me so much that that isn't necessary. I'll be over in two days._

_James_

_P.S. Do I recall you once mentioning you live in the same town as one Lily Evans? Quite near each other, in fact?_

_P.P.S. A new guy, huh? Do I see a possible summer fling for my furry little friend? _

_

* * *

June 18__th__ 1975_

_James,_

_I'm glad you think so highly of our friendship, otherwise I may have thought you only want to stay with me because Lily lives near by._

_Oh, and shut up._

_See you tomorrow._

_Remus_

_

* * *

_A couple of weeks had passed since the beginning of the holidays, and Remus, Sirius and Lily had spent quite a lot of time together, getting to know one another and doing the things that three teenagers do on vacation. That day, they were at Remus' house, looking after Nymphadora. Remus had specifically not mentioned the upcoming arrival of James to his two friends. The last time James had come over and Remus had accidentally mentioned his stay to Lily, she had avoided them the whole time. This way, she was stuck with them. It was his dream for his two good friends to finally get to like each other (James had no problem with this, but Lily needed some working on). He hadn't told Sirius solely because he would probably tell Lily.

The three teenagers sat in the living room keeping Dora occupied and amused when a knock sounded at the front door.

Since Remus was busy making finger shadows on the wall, and Lily was busy holding the torch in order to do so, Sirius stood up and went to see who it was. Opening the door, he regarded the boy on the step; his suitcase in hand, the glasses on his nose, and his unruly black hair that looked as if it had just endured God knows what.

"Who are you?" asked Sirius, suspiciously.

"I could ask you the same question," replied the stranger.

Both boys sized each other up, before a call from Remus interrupted their staring contest.

"Sirius, who is it?" asked the auburn haired boy, coming into the hallway.

Before Sirius could answer, Remus gave a yell and rushed over to hug the boy standing in the door way.

Neither of the two boys looked as if they were embarrassed at all by this show of affection. For them - although they didn't hug all the time - it was a normal thing and they were perfectly comfortable with it.

Sirius looked on, envious for reasons unbeknownst to him.

"Missed you, you old sod," said James finally, when they let go.

Remus laughed. "You too."

"So this is the new guy?" asked James gesturing to Sirius.

Hearing himself referred to, Sirius stood up straighter.

"Oh yeah, I completely forgot to introduce you guys!" said Remus apologetically. "James, this is Sirius. Sirius, this is James, my best friend."

James held out his hand. Sirius shook it and Remus ushered them further into the hallway, picking up the broomstick that James had lent on the wall and closing the front door.

James and Sirius stood waiting for Remus awkwardly. They were both slightly suspicious, wary, and even a little jealous of the other; typical for boys used to being the dominant male. Sirius was less so due to the fact that he'd heard so much about James over the previous weeks, but he was still a little unsettled about finally meeting him. Plus, he hadn't been expecting James to show up quite so unexpectedly.

"How was your trip?" asked Remus, as they made their way to the living room.

"Horrible! Do you know how many birds I nearly flew into? And one of them pooed on me!" James said, shuddering dramatically.

Remus laughed. "It wouldn't be the first time. You should have caught the Knight Bus."

"Yeah, and died from never-ending motion sickness? I don't think so."

They had finally entered the living room and James put down the suitcase he was still carrying.

Lily was sitting in the big white armchair, plaiting Dora's long red hair. As she heard their footsteps, she glanced up. "Remus, do you have any apples? Dora wants one…." She trailed off as she caught sight of the black haired boy with glasses.

James, in the meantime, grinned. "Evans," he said in greeting.

"Potter."

Sirius, yet unaware of the extent of their relationship, looked between them in interest. Remus however, wanting to avoid a little spat, motioned for Lily to follow him into the kitchen in order to find some apples. On the way out, he waved his hand at the couches and the other two boys (who were still rather suspicious of the other), and told them to sit down. "Get to know each other."

Once in the kitchen, Lily whirled on him.

"You didn't tell me he was coming!" she whispered fiercely.

"Lily, why would I? You would have just refused to come over and would have spent the whole summer avoiding him."

"I can still do that."

Remus gave her a Look. "Lily, you know you won't, so stop pretending. James really isn't as bad as you think he is."

"But he's so arrogant and big-headed and annoying!" she ranted.

"And who else do we know like that, who you seem to love?" asked Remus.

She fell silent, frowning. They both knew that Sirius and James were surprisingly similar.

Lily opened her mouth to argue some more but Remus cut her short.

"Lily, stop it. You have to get to like him someday and now is the perfect opportunity. We're all going to be spending the summer together so you'll have to try to get along with him. Please."

Lily finally nodded.

"But know that I'm only doing it for you!" she said as he grabbed an apple and they left the kitchen.

Upon returning to the living room, Remus and Lily found that the two dark haired boys were sitting on opposite sides of the room glaring at each other. An icy cloud of hostility seemed to have descended upon Sirius and James during their absence.

_Oh, oh,_ thought Remus. _Here we go._

"So! You guys get to know each other, then?" he tried to break the icy silence.

Lily, sensing a disturbance was going to occur, went over to Dora, gave her the apple, took her hand and led her out of the room to the guest bedroom where a T.V would occupy her for the next hour.

Returning, Lily readied herself for the impending explosion.

"You didn't tell me he was a _Black_," James spat out the name as if it was something disgusting he'd had the misfortune of putting in his mouth.

"Is that a problem, Potter?" asked Lily before anyone could respond.

James turned to look at her. "No offence Evans, but do you even know who his family is?"

"Why does my family have to determine who I am?" cut in Sirius angrily.

"Because they're dark wizards who revel in incest, think of themselves as the best beings in the world and would murder any muggle-born that got in their way. Who knows what he's picked up?"

Sirius stood up so fast that a cushion fell off the couch he'd been sitting on. His wand was out and trained on James before anyone could so much as blink.

"I may not agree with my family's values, but you're right, I have picked up some stuff from being a Black. For instance I could petrify you right now and remove every single one of your toes while you can't defend yourself, run away or move at all. But you'd be able to feel every break and every rip." He flicked his wand to emphasize the point.

Seeing James shift ever so slightly to reach for his wand Sirius flicked his wand again. "Don't move," he growled.

There was a - blackness - to Sirius that Remus had not seen before and he stepped forward, warily.

"Sirius, don't," he cautioned.

Sirius' eyes did not leave James'. "Remus, I have a right to defend myself while big-headed, egotistical _idiots_ talk about things they don't understand."

James' eyes flashed with anger but as Sirius moved his wand again, they moved to the thin piece of dark wood and Sirius could see the fear there. Yes, James knew what he was capable of. He was a Black, after all.

Sirius spoke again, this time to James. "I am not my family." His voice shook with anger and emotion. "I suggest you get to know people before you make assumptions about them."

Sirius lowered his wand, turned, and walked out of the room.

"What the hell was that?" asked Remus, extremely annoyed and very unsettled at what had just occurred.

"What?" asked an irritated James, staring after the boy who'd disappeared.

"You're going to tell us that that happened for no particular reason at all, when we just left the room for five minutes and left you here alone?" asked Lily as she moved to follow Sirius.

"Lily, don't. Let him cool off a bit first," Remus cautioned. The red-head turned and glared at James, walking over to sit down on the couch Sirius had previously occupied. Remus followed her.

James looked up at them. "Don't be angry at me!" he said irritably upon seeing their annoyed faces. "I can't help it if I don' trust him!"

"Why don't you, though!?" cried Lily. "We've been with him for two weeks and he hasn't said or done a thing! For Merlin's sake Potter, I'm muggle-born and he hasn't murdered me!"

James fell silent, looking at the table between them.

"I just didn't want you hanging around with someone with prejudices like that. He could hurt you," he said finally.

Remus smiled sadly. "James, we appreciate your concern, but really, he is _nothing_ like that. I don't even know how you figured out he was a Black!"

"He said he was living with his cousin, Andy," James muttered.

"But that's proof right there! Andy is a Black and she's not evil at all!"

James remained silent. At long last he looked up at the two people opposite him. "Are you sure?"

Remus smiled understandably at his best friend. "Yes. He's our friend and we trust him."

James still looked disagreeable but remained silent.

"I'm going to get Sirius," said Lily, standing up. She glared at James. "When we get back, you had better be nice, Potter."

The red-head exited, leaving James and Remus sitting in the living room.

"Sorry," said James quietly. "I know it was bad of me to start like that."

Remus knew how much it cost James to apologize for something he so strongly believed in, and he knew that his friend was deeply protective of him. For that, Remus would always be thankful.

Wanting to dispel the sombre mood in the room, James tried to banish the memory and feelings of the previous few minutes from his mind. "So," he said grinning at Remus.

Remus, instantly recognising that look, rolled his eyes. "Yes?"

"He's pretty good looking isn't he?"

_Oh Merlin,_ thought Remus and feigned indifference. "So what?"

"I think you know what," said James, winking and grinning.

Before they could continue however, Lily returned with Sirius.

Remus moved over to James' couch and they sat down on the one opposite.

A few seconds of strained silence followed before James cleared his throat, and attempted to begin a normal conversation.

"So what are you guys going to do today?" he asked.

Sirius, despite himself, felt a little respect for the boy for breaking the silence.

Remus shrugged. "Well, we were just looking after Dora. We have to do that most of the week 'cos Lily babysits her."

"Right."

"Where is she anyway?" asked Sirius, looking around.

"I took her to the guest bedroom before," said Lily.

"Oh. Right, well why don't we go do something in town?" asked Sirius.

The group perked up a bit at the prospect of the outdoors and James stood up.

"I'll go and get Dora, then," he said, leaving.

"I think she'd like Penelope and Amber's. She hasn't been there for ages," said Lily.

"And I could do with an ice cream right about now."

The three teenagers continued to make plans for the afternoon while waiting for James to return with Dora.

"They're taking a while…" said Remus after a few minutes had passed. He looked towards the door with a frown. Just as he was getting up to investigate, the sound of running feet announced the arrival of James as he burst into the room. The black haired boy tried to regain his composure as he stood panting near the door.

"Um, Lily, are you sure you took her to the guest bedroom?" he asked.

"Yes… I turned on the T.V and everything."

"Right. Well, you see… She's sort of – well – um - not there."

"What?" asked Remus after a second of silence.

"She's not there," said James again.

"You lost my cousin?" yelled an outraged Sirius.

"Hey - we're all looking after her! It wasn't only me!" yelled James back.

"Guys, calm down. She's probably in a different room, or something," said Remus.

"I don't think she is," said an apologetic looking James.

"What do you mean, you don't think she is!?" cried Lily.

"When I couldn't find her, I figured she might have gone to the bathroom, but she wasn't there. So I checked some of the other rooms and she wasn't there either. And she didn't respond when I called her name. Don't shoot me! I'm only the messenger!" he cried when he saw the looks the others were giving him.

"She has to be here! She can't have disappeared. You probably missed something," said Sirius, quickly standing up.

James frowned at the slight of his searching abilities but let the comment go.

"OK, we'll just split up and search the house, she can't have gone far. Maybe she's playing hide and seek," said Lily.

"Just remain calm, everyone," said Remus. Channeling his 'military officer self', he proceeded to split the house up and assign everyone areas to search.

"Remember to keep calm! Otherwise, we might miss something," Remus repeated before they set off.

During the next ten minutes, the four teenagers ran around like a bunch of headless chickens. If it hadn't been such a serious situation, it would have been funny. There was a war brewing within the Wizarding World and everyone was wary and suspicious of odd events. It didn't help that Nymphadora was related to a particular Ancient and Nobel House and therefore all the more susceptible to plots and schemes.

Having agreed to meet in the kitchen, all four reached it simultaneously. Their heads turned as they noticed the back door in the corner of the kitchen. It was swinging wide open and a light breeze fluttered through, tousling their hair, almost comically.

"Oh, shit."

"That wasn't open before, was it?"

"No, it wasn't."

"Oh, shit."

They stood in silence, staring in horror at the gaping door. Suddenly, Remus snapped to his senses and ran out into the garden calling "Nymphadora!"

His movement startled the others into action and they rushed out after him.

The garden was empty. They searched every nook and cranny, in every bush and up every tree, but the little girl was nowhere to be found.

They finally stopped to catch their breath.

"Oh my god. They're going to murder me! Ted and Andy are going to murder me!" cried Lily, tears in her eyes.

"Shhhh, no they won't Lily, they won't." Sirius went over to hug her and James shot him a suspicious look.

"But, it was my job! It was my job to look after her! To make sure nothing happened! Oh, they're going to kill me!" she continued to sob.

"Evans, stop it." James' command made her look up.

"They won't kill you because we'll find her and it'll be as if nothing ever happened."

"Potter, be realistic. We can't find her! We tried and we can't and…" she burst into sobs again. "What if someone took her? She could be anywhere by now! She could be…"

"Lily, we will find her," said Remus. "OK. So if she's not in the house, and not in the garden, then that means that she went out through the gate." He turned and disappeared around the side of the house.

"Come on!" said James to Sirius and Lily, following his friend.

Once on the street, they looked around, calling out the missing girl's name. With no response, Remus looked at James and frowned.

"Do you think you could use your broom to look for her from the sky?"

"You're a genius!" James ran back to the house and a minute later came running out again, empty handed.

"It's gone!" he cried frantically.

"What?"

"My broom - it's gone!"

"Oh Merlin, now we're looking for a missing broom too," said Lily, flinging up her arms in despair.

"Why on Earth would a little girl take your broomstick?" asked Remus.

"How would I know!?"

"I do," said Sirius suddenly. "Last night I remember her asking Ted for a toy broom again - she really wants one. She must have seen James' in the hallway and thought she could have a go."

"But she's only five. She can't ride a real broomstick!" cried Lily. "And what if the Muggles see her? She should know better than that," she added, close now to hysterics.

No one answered as they all turned their heads to the sky, desperately scanning for a girl and a broom.

"Look, as much as I hate to say this, she can't have gone far," said Remus.

"But that's a good thing," pointed out Sirius. "We'll find her quicker."

"Yeah, but the point is she won't have gone far because she doesn't have the capabilities of navigating a life-size broomstick. There's no way she could have kept on flying because she would have fallen off before getting very far…" Remus trailed off as he realized the implications of this statement.

The four teenagers stared at each other.

"We have to split up!" cried Sirius suddenly. "Two of us should search that street, and the other two search the other," he said, pointing in opposite directions and doing a fair imitation of a scarecrow.

"OK. Lily and I'll go up here, and you two go down there," said Remus, before the two Gryffindors took off.

"Come on!" cried Sirius over his shoulder, ignoring the fact that he'd rather be paired with Remus or Lily, than James.

James, with similar thoughts, raced after him.

They searched for the missing girl in stony silence, silently grumbling about their partnership.

"Oh my God!" cried James a minute later, momentarily forgetting his muteness. He was pointing at a small figure on the top of a chimney three houses away from them.

"Nymphadora!" cried Sirius, sprinting to the house.

"Siri?" they heard her terrified sob. "Siri, help me!"

"Hold on, Dora! We'll get you down!" Sirius yelled up to her.

"What do we do? How do we get her down?" asked James, reaching him.

They strained their heads to see the girl perched on the chimney.

"She still has my broom!" cried James.

"Trust you to think of your broom first," muttered Sirius.

"Oh shut up, you git! I was thinking it could help get her down," said James angrily.

Biting his tongue so as not to continue their bickering, Sirius shook his head. "She can't fly down here on her own. It's a miracle she got this far in the first place and didn't fall off. We can't risk it again."

James nodded. "I know."

Both boys frowned as they tried to think of some way to get up there.

"What if she threw down the broom and we flew up to get her instead?" suggested James.

Sirius' eyes lit up. "Yes! That would be perfect!"

"But what about the Muggles!?"

"Screw the Muggles! This is a life and death situation," yelled Sirius, who unlike James, had seemed to momentarily block all sense and reason from his mind.

"Dora? We need you to throw down that broom you're holding, OK?" he called up to the Metamorphmagus.

"I'm scared," came the reply.

"I know sweetie, but we really need you to throw it down to us. Just be very careful and hold onto the chimney very tightly."

Tears streaming down her face, the little girl gripped tightly with one hand to the top of the chimney and let go of the broom. She wasn't very strong and extremely scared so the broom didn't propel forward enough to miss the roof that jutted out. It bounced three times and rolled off, where James, waiting underneath the eaves, caught it.

"Good girl, Dora! You did it! Now just hold on a bit more, and we'll get you down," called Sirius, immensely relieved that the broom hadn't gotten stuck on the roof, hadn't blown away and that his cousin's daughter was still safe. Well, as safe as one can get stuck on top of a chimney.

James hurried back to him. "So I'll fly up and get her on, OK? You spot from underneath."

Sirius shook his head.

"What? This is the only way we can get to her short of scaling the bloody house, why are you suddenly complaining?" cried James.

"You need more than one person to get her on the broom, you can't do it yourself."

As James stared to protest, Sirius held up his hand.

"You need someone to hold the broom steady while you grab her. You can't do both on your own otherwise you'll fall off too, especially, when it's a little girl who is shit scared and desperate to get off that roof. We both have to fly up there."

"But this broom will hardly hold two people, let alone three!"

"It's the only way!" yelled Sirius.

Against his better judgment, James got on his broom and waited for Sirius to get on after him.

"I'll fly up as fast as I can and get as close as I can to the chimney. Grab her and haul her on as fast as possible, OK? Speed is the key here, we can't linger too long or the broom will fall," James told Sirius over his shoulder. He felt the boy nod and a moment later kicked off as hard as he could from the ground.

Even seconds in the air, both boys felt the broom straining to hold them up. As James shot as fast as he could up to the chimney, Sirius cried "Dora, get ready to grab onto me!" As they climbed into the air, James leveled the broom and sped towards the chimney.

"One, two, three, now!" he yelled, and Sirius locked his knees as tightly as he could around the broomstick and leant out towards the little girl. As the broom slowed for a split second to give him some time in pulling the girl on, he grabbed her outstretched arms and hauled with all his might. Her hands scrambled and clung to him, and the juddering of the broom beneath the added weight caused him for a sickening moment to lose his balance, but he grabbed James' shoulder with one hand and after a moment, steadied himself.

The broom, however, was losing speed and began to violently shudder beneath its three passengers.

"Come on, come on," James urged it downwards, desperately praying it would make it; past the roof, past the first floor window; finally, a meter above the ground, the broom gave out. James, Sirius and a tear streaked Nymphadora fell out of the air, landing on the grass with an 'oof'. They lay there for a few moments, Dora still clinging around Sirius' neck, but largely unhurt as her older cousin had cushioned her fall. They finally sat up and looked at each other in relief. Sirius untangled the little girl from himself and hugged her tightly.

"Please don't tell Mummy," she whispered into his chest.

"I won't tell if you promise you will never do anything like that again. And you must always tell us what you're going to do. Never sneak off like that."

Nymphadora nodded fiercely, her face still buried in his shirt.

"Thank you," she whispered.

"You're welcome Dora. Now say thank you to James too."

She looked up at James through dark eyelashes. "Thank you, James."

He smiled at her. "No problem."

James, already standing, offered Sirius a hand up.

"We'd better go and find the others," he said.

Sirius nodded and together they picked up the exhausted, tear and mud stained girl and carried her between them, James carrying his broom with his other hand as well.

As they walked, James turned towards Sirius.

"Look, Sirius, um, about before. Well - I'm - I'm sorry. I know I shouldn't have acted the way I did and I apologize for being such a prejudiced git."

Sirius was surprised by this apology, but smiled at the black haired boy.

"I'm sorry, too. I shouldn't have threatened you like I did. And thanks for helping save Nymphadora, it wouldn't have been possible without you."

They grinned at each other, both acknowledging the other's swallowing of pride in order to start afresh.

They walked on a few more paces in silence before James suddenly remembered that something else had been bothering him.

"So, Sirius, what's going on with you and Evans?" he asked, trying to sound nonchalant.

"What do you mean?"

"Oh, you know, just when we were in the garden and you went to hug Lily and I thought…" he trailed off, realizing how stupid he sounded.

Instead of scoffing at him however, Sirius laughed. "Mate, I was just comforting her. There's nothing going on."

"Oh, I just thought…"

"For Merlin's sake, James, I'm gay!"

"Oh," said James again. Then slowly a wide grin appeared on his face, as he processed this information.

"Brilliant!" he said.

"Yeah…" said Sirius, slightly unnerved at the amused and slightly calculating look the black haired boy was now giving him.

"I know another person who's gay, too," said James, still smiling as if he knew a secret Sirius didn't.

"Oh my God! You found her!" Lily's yell interrupted their conversation.

She and Remus sprinted towards them, happiness and relief radiating from their bodies.

Knowing how much trouble she had caused, Nymphadora looked properly chastised, but a smile spread across her lips when Lily hugged her fiercely.

"You, young lady, are to never do that again!" cried the red-head.

Dora nodded and was subsequently accosted with another hug, this time from Remus.

While Remus held the girl and in turn told her never to be so silly again, Lily jumped on Sirius, hugging him just as fiercely.

"Thank you, thank you, thank you," she sang.

Then letting go, she turned to James and after just a moments' hesitation, hugged him too. James looked like Christmas had come early, and Sirius smirked behind Lily's back.

"Thanks, Potter."

"Hey, it wasn't only me. Sirius helped too."

"Glad you're not taking all the credit," said the black haired boy and they both grinned at each other.

"Where was she?" asked Lily as they trooped back to the house.

James (with additional help from Sirius) proceeded to inform them of their grand adventure, exaggerating in such extremes that by the time they got home they were all hooting in laughter. The main gist of what happened however seemed to translate into the story so that Lily and Remus had a pretty good idea of what had really occurred. It was rather a miracle that no Muggles saw them and that, in fact, no one at all had noticed their dangerous search-and-rescue mission.

Marching Dora upstairs to take a bath, the four teenagers talked and laughed amiably, Lily too drained from the day's events to really keep up her dislike for James, and all previous conflicts forgotten.

For reasons unknown to Remus and Lily, and probably to Sirius and James themselves, the earlier confrontation between the two dark haired boys was put behind them and forgotten. Their search for Nymphadora had united them. There are some things that you can't share without ending up liking each other, and risking your life while saving an innocent child's was one of them. So James Potter and Sirius Black became friends, surprising themselves and others at how quickly they took to each other and how close they became. They were brothers in every way except name and blood from the day they met.

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A/N: **So - not my best, but hopefully it isn't too bad! (Unfortunately the next chapter might not be up for a while because exams are coming up (what fun!) but I'll try my hardest to update when I can.)

Cookies for anyone who spots the line I took from the first Harry Potter book! The entire sentence isn't there (it wouldn't fit with the story otherwise) so I'll be deeply impressed if someone spots it! A clue: it's near the end of the chapter. (_Quite_ close to the end, actually). Have fun searching! :) And please leave a review!


	7. Bubblegum Pink

**Disclaimer: **Wow. For the past few years I've been convinced I own Harry Potter. I was obviously deluded.

**Author's Note:** I am terribly sorry that this has taken so long (once again) BUT just so you know, I'm not abandoning this fic and rest assured, I will finish it. This chapter and the next were originally meant to be one chapter but it became too long so I decided to put them into two parts. That's why this one's a bit shorter than usual. Sorry!

Kudos to all of you who got the line in the last chapter, you know who you are. I really shouldn't have been surprised that so many of you would have gotten it :P. I hope all of you took your favourite cookie from my giant never-ending cookie jar :D

Thanks to my awesome beta _**amberbelle**_ and all of you who have stuck with me and who have reviewed. I love you all!

Read on…

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**Chapter Seven: Bubble-gum Pink**

Sirius came downstairs the next morning with sleep in his eyes and his hair thoroughly ruffled from a good night's rest. As he entered the kitchen he stretched and flashed a grin at Andromeda, who was standing behind the kitchen counter directing crockery into the sink with her wand.

"Morning, Sirius," she said as he got himself a drink of water out of the fridge.

"Morning."

"What'll it be today, hmm? Waffles? Pancakes? Eggs and bacon?" she asked.

"I think I'll just have some toast, thanks, Andy," said Sirius, making his way to the dining table in the corner of the spacious kitchen.

By the time he'd sat down, a stack of warm toast had appeared before him, along with an assortment of spreads.

"Ta," he said, selecting a jar of orange marmalade and unscrewing the lid.

Andy came out from behind the kitchen bench, holding a mug of steaming tea between her hands. Sitting down opposite Sirius, she lifted one leg onto the chair and rested her chin on her knee. Sipping her tea, Andromeda watched him munch on his toast. Sirius looked up, saw her watching him, and raised an eyebrow.

"What can I do for you today, Mrs. Tonks?" he asked, jokingly.

Andy smiled at him, and took another sip of tea. Then she inclined her head at the bench which divided the kitchen from the eating area. "A letter came for you today."

Sirius, curiosity ignited, rose to collect the correspondence. As he crossed the room quickly, he wondered who had contacted him. About two weeks had passed since his flight from his family, and so far, no one that he knew of had attempted to contact him. Reaching the bench, he picked up a thick envelope of yellow parchment. Spindly, slanted, emerald green writing spelt out his name and address, and flipping the envelope over, Sirius recognized the Hogwarts emblem. He turned to face Andromeda.

"It's from Hogwarts," he said.

She nodded and smiled at him. "It's probably your school letter."

Sirius looked back down at the envelope in his hands. Quickly and deftly, he slipped his thumb under the fold and broke the seal. A number of pieces of parchment slid out as the dark haired boy tipped the envelope. Making his way back to his seat, he unfolded the first one. He began to read before looking up at Andy after a few seconds.

"You were right. It is my Hogwarts letter," he told his cousin, grinning.

She beamed back at him. "Great! Do you want another piece of toast in celebration?"

"Nah, I've had enough already. Thanks, though," he replied as she stood, carrying her mug to the kitchen sink.

Sirius returned to his mail. The first letter, as he'd said, was from Professor Dumbledore, formally welcoming him to the school. The second sheet of parchment turned out to be a book and equipment list which Sirius put aside to pursue in more detail later. The third and final piece of mail was also from Professor Dumbledore. By the time he'd finished it, he was laughing in great amusement.

"Something funny?" asked Andy, from within the pantry.

"You'll never guess."

His cousin came out of the food cupboard with a box of oatmeal in hand. "What's up?" she asked.

Sirius grinned. "You know how there's that whole 'under-aged-magic-is-illegal' thing?"

Andy nodded warily.

"Well, it turns out that because I'm not officially a student at Hogwarts yet, I can do magic outside of school and the Ministry won't have a clue!" He threw his hands up in the air and did a little happy dance as Andy laughed at his exuberance.

"Why don't the Ministry know you're a student? I'd have thought they would know about everything," asked Andy reasonably after they'd calmed down.

Sirius glanced back down at the letter he was still holding. "According to Dumbledore, since my parents apparently haven't believed it important enough to let anyone know I'm missing, the Ministry is still under the impression that I'm enrolled at Durmstrang. I probably still am," he added as an after thought.

Continuing, he scanned the letter again. "And, I'm not fully enrolled at Hogwarts yet because I need to sign some papers or something once I get there. Dumbledore goes on about some mumbo-jumbo about laws of transfer students or something… So basically, I'm not technically a student at Hogwarts. The Ministry doesn't have a tab on me because of that, and the fact that Durmstrang doesn't strictly have the same rules on under-age wizardry as England does means I can do magic!" He waved his arm in the air, imitating casting an incantation even though he held no wand in his hand.

Andy, only slightly lost from Sirius' excited ramblings, shook her head in amusement.

"I'll have to read that letter later," she said as Sirius grinned happily, rather like an exited four year old at the prospect of Christmas coming early.

"And, just so you know," she said sternly, "I'm not going to allow you to perform magic just for the fun of it. I don't have the right to ban it from you completely, but I'm enforcing the rule that you have to be responsible with it and not do anything silly or stupid. Do you understand?"

Sirius nodded. "No, I understand. Don't worry."

At that moment, a knock sounded on the front door.

"I'll get it!" called Ted, as he came rushing down the hallway, freshly showered and closely followed by a still pyjama-clad Nymphadora.

A few seconds later a bunch of people came crowding into the kitchen.

"Morning all," said Ted as he made his way through the door. "Look what the cat dragged in!"

James, Remus and Lily followed him in, grinning.

"Morning!"

"Hello, Andy."

"Glad you're not in bed, we'd have had to throw water on you."

"James, play nice," said an amused Remus as he and Sirius exchanged smiles.

"We'll leave you guys to it, then," said Ted as he and his wife left the kitchen.

"Make yourselves at home!" called Andy over her shoulder. "And remember what I said Sirius!"

"What'd she say?" Lily raised an eyebrow at the grinning boy in question as she leaned back on the bench. Remus who'd sat down opposite Sirius at the dining table, looked equally interested.

Before Sirius could answer however, a spray of orange juice hit Remus in the face.

"Oi!" cried the boy, wiping away the liquid with his sleeve.

"That was an exceptional spray there James, I'm thoroughly impressed," said Lily, sounding anything but.

The boy in question ignored her as he continued to ogle at the parchment in his hand, a glass of forgotten orange juice in the other. Sirius realized that James had somehow swiped his mail and drink from under his nose without him noticing.

"Hey, that's mine!" he said belatedly, holding out his hand so that the Gryffindor could pass it back.

James looked up at him, a grin forming on his face.

"You can do magic?" he asked, in suppressed excitement.

"Of course he can, James, he's a wizard," said Remus, frowning.

"No, I mean you can do magic outside of school. They don't have The Trace on you!"

He and Sirius split into identical anticipatory grins as Sirius nodded.

"_Brilliant!_"

_Oh dear,_ thought Remus as he grabbed the letter out of James' hand and read it. Lily, joining him, looked over his shoulder. Giving each other a resigned look, he and the red head looked back at the two boys who were still grinning stupidly.

"You look like idiots," Lily said.

James shrugged and took a swig of orange juice.

"Oi! That's mine!" cried Sirius again, pointing at the drink.

James smirked at him and sculled the juice before Sirius had time to grab it off him.

"Must watch your possessions, Mr. Black," he said as Sirius glared at him.

"Beware, Mr. Potter. I can do magic, remember?" he said, grinning as the smirk was wiped off James' face.

"Sirius, James, stop it," said Remus before any good natured scuffling could occur.

"This is so cool!" said James once he and Sirius had stopped ribbing each other and the four teenagers were seated at the table.

"We can play so many pranks!" he continued as Lily rolled her eyes.

"I did promise Andy that I wouldn't do anything stupid, though," said Sirius.

James waved his hand in the air, as if swatting away the problem. "Tosh! Pranks aren't stupid, are they Remus?"

The mousy haired boy suppressed a grin and stayed silent. Sirius, noticing, winked and grinned to himself when Remus' eyes quickly avoided his own.

"You, James Potter, are not to play any pranks in this village," said Lily sternly.

"Aw, come on Evans! You know you want to."

Lily raised an eyebrow at him, effectively silencing her admirer.

Attempting to steer the conversation away from any other possible trouble-making schemes, Lily turned to Sirius.

"It is really good though. You being able to do magic, I mean. We can do homework so much more easily now if you can help us with the required spells."

James groaned.

"Shut up, Potter."

She turned back to Sirius, who was looking at her warily. Lily smiled winningly at him.

"Oh, come on. Please! You'd learn so much in preparation for sixth year too!"

"No offence, Lils, but I'm with James. Groan."

"Remus," she turned to the auburn haired boy. "You agree with me, right?"

Sirius glanced at the boy, who was looking thoughtful.

"You know, she's right," he said, as James gave another almighty groan and Lily beamed.

"We can do some of the assignments much more quickly. Usually we have to go without doing the spells, but this way…" he trailed off, and looked up. "What do you say, Sirius?"

Sirius gulped. Why was it that he couldn't seem to resist doing what Remus wanted him to do, even if it was school related?

"Fine," he said finally. Lily laughed happily as James looked scandalized.

"Mate, you've betrayed me!" he cried dramatically.

"You'll get over it," Sirius said, suddenly brimming with pleasure as Remus gave him a splendid grin.

"I've got just the thing," said Lily happily, reaching down beside her chair and hauling out a text book from her shoulder bag. She plonked a copy of _Advanced Potion-Making_ onto the table.

James groaned again. "Great, now we're going to be doing_ homework_ all day."

"Ah, it's not too bad, Jamesy-boy," teased Remus, ruffling the black haired boy's hair. Sirius was hit with a sudden desire to have Remus hand running through _his_ hair. He shook the thought away as Lily flipped through the pages.

"Here," she said finally, stopping at page 198. Finger trained over the title of the potion, she read, "Colour Concoction. A handy brew that will change the colour of any substance it is added to. Usually used in food products. Our Professor – Professor Slughorn," she told Sirius, "said he'd give us an easier potion to make and study for the holidays."

"Where's the spell casting in it?" asked Remus, looking over Lily's shoulder.

"You have to levitate some of the ingredients into the cauldron – basic magic really - but it adds to the colour changing process. Something about the aerodynamics and gravity pull, I don't know the details. Anyway, if you don't have a wand to do that, you have to add in a few steps and it makes it a bit more complex and longer. Now, we'll have it done in no time!"

James and Sirius exchanged glances. "Great," said the Gryffindor sarcastically.

"Thanks for your enthusiasm, Potter," Lily sniffed.

Sirius smiled. "OK, guys, let's get this over and done with. Do you have all the ingredients?"

"We should have most of them in our ingredients store," Lily said, scanning the list. "And everything else seems to be household items. We need some basil, a few rose petals and for some reason," she said, frowning, "a whole lot of salt."

"Right," said James enthusiastically, getting up. "I'll go get those and we can set up."

Lily gave the boy's turned back a funny look.

"He secretly really loves homework," whispered Remus into her ear. She couldn't help but smile, even though she wasn't sure whether her friend was telling the truth or not.

"We can do it upstairs," said Sirius, as they helped James collect the necessary ingredients from the pantry and garden. "Andy and Ted have a special room where they do all their magic stuff."

Remus grinned. "Nice description."

Sirius punched his arm lightly.

As they made their way out of the kitchen, they passed the Tonks' as they lounged in the living room.

"We're just off to do some homework," Sirius told them. "We'll be in the study if you need us."

The two adults exchanged amused smiles as the teenagers trooped out of the room.

"Don't blow up the house!" they called out in union.

"We won't," four voices answered.

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Fifteen minutes later, the teenagers were set up and the potion was underway. Lily had produced her whole potions ingredient kit out of her bag (much to the amusement of James), and had organized all the ingredients in a row on the large desk behind the simmering cauldron. The black pot sat in front of Remus, who was slowly stirring its contents.

"OK. Now, Sirius, you have to levitate the five rose petals into the middle of the potion. The mixture should turn blue," she said, looking at her textbook.

"_Wingardium Leviosa,"_ said Sirius, revelling in the fact that he could perform magic – which he honestly hadn't thought he'd be able to do outside of school – as James watch on enviously.

As desired, the potion changed to a beautiful sapphire blue colour, and Sirius grinned.

"I'm brilliant," he said proudly, as the other three snorted.

"Hey! I am." He glared at them all.

"Sure, Sirius," said an amused Remus, continuing to stir the potion.

James began to pour in the table salt, as directed by Lily.

"This is _a lot _of salt," he said, watching in amazement as the box he was holding never seemed to empty.

"Well we need all of it," said Lily, glancing down again at _Advanced Potion-Making._ "Though, only Merlin knows why," she added, rather bemused herself.

The box finally emptied and James set it down on the table. After a few more ingredients had been added to the brew, Lily suddenly exclaimed, "Oh no! We need more peppercorns." She looked to Sirius. "Could you get us some, please?"

Sirius got up from where he had been watching Remus stir the mixture.

"Sure. How much?"

"Just another box, I think."

Sirius left, and James, Remus and Lily continued to talk about the potion and the essay that was to go with it.

"Where's Sirius got to?" asked Remus, after a while, throwing in a sprig of basil.

Before he could receive an answer, the cauldron in front of him exploded. Remus had thrown in the basil at the same time as saying Sirius' name and the instant the plant hit the surface of the potion, it exploded. From somewhere downstairs they heard a yell, followed by a lot of cursing.

Lily, James and Remus looked at each other; the potion, which had previously been a safe looking blue, was now the colour of bubble-gum pink. Through the door, they could hear the continued stream of curses from the boy downstairs.

"I guess we know where Sirius is then," said James.

"Um, Remus, that wasn't supposed to happen, was it?" asked Lily looking back at the pink potion.

The auburn haired boy, who was still in a slight state of shock, shook his head.

At that moment, they could hear thumping coming from the stairs, signalling the imminent arrival of Sirius. He burst through the door furiously.

"_What is this!?" _He asked pointing quite extravagantly at his head. "_What happened?_"

The three in the room looked at him in shock, before bursting out laughing.

"Oh my God!" cried Lily around her laughter.

Sirius glared at them all. He spotted the pink potion in front of Remus and rounded on the boy, who was trying vainly to keep a straight face.

"Remus," growled Sirius. "What did you do?"

"Nothing, I swear!" he said, still trying to hold in the laughter that was bubbling inside of him. Because, you see, Sirius looked quite amusing to the three Gryffindors. He looked amusing to them because – well - he had pink hair. Bubble-gum pink.

-o-o-o-o

**A/N:** So, again I apologize for the looooooooooong wait and the shortness of this chapter, but I thought I'd post something, anything, and hope that it makes up for my lack of updates. Rest assured, the next chapter is WAY longer :D

Cheers! And, reviews are LOVE!


	8. A Rather Amusing Disaster

**Disclaimer:** I don't own anything apart from the voices inside my head. They write the story.

**Author's note:** Yay, another chapter! As promised this is much longer than the last and as it was supposed to be all one whole chapter, I'll give you a quick lead in in case you've forgotten what happened last.

**Previously in **_**There's A Hole In Your Logic**__:_

…Sirius glared at them all. He spotted the pink potion in front of Remus and rounded on the boy, who was trying vainly to keep a straight face.

"Remus," growled Sirius. "What did you do?"

"Nothing, I swear!" he said, still trying to hold in the laughter that was bubbling inside of him. Because, you see, Sirius looked quite amusing to the three Gryffindors. He looked amusing to them because – well - he had pink hair. Bubble-gum pink.

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Chapter Eight: A Rather Amusing Disaster**

"What happened!?" cried the pink haired boy.

He continued to glare at them all before they'd calmed down enough to answer.

"It's not our fault! We didn't plan it," said Remus, the corners of his mouth twitching as he looked up at the furious boy. "It happened when I threw in the basil and said your name."

"We must have done something wrong," frowned Lily, examining her textbook. She tapped her chin lightly. "Maybe we used too much salt?"

"I told you it was a lot," grumbled James.

"Who cares if it was the salt or not," exclaimed Sirius. "What are we going to do? We have to fix this!" He grabbed at his bright hair desperately. "Sirius Black _cannot_ have pink hair."

The three Gryffindors chuckled.

"Come on. Let's see if Andy and Ted can fix it," said Lily. "Hopefully they won't mind that their cousin has somehow been blessed with bubble-gum coloured hair," she teased as they all made their way downstairs. Sirius glared at her back.

They found Andy, Ted and Nymphadora in the garden. A delighted squeal announced their arrival to the two adults as Dora came charging at Sirius. She flung her arms out to him, staring up at his hair in amazement.

"Awesome," she said, and proceeded to change her hair colour to match Sirius'.

Ted, James, Remus and Lily all roared with laughter while Andy looked on with wide eyes, still rather surprised at the new look her cousin was apparently going for, and Sirius frowned.

"What happened?" asked Andy finally.

"Something went wrong with the potion we were making," said Remus. "We were hoping that you could fix it."

"_Very much_ hoping you could fix it," added Sirius.

"We tell you not to blow up the house and instead you turn your hair pink. You kids are brilliant," said Ted in amusement.

Andy lightly swatted him on the arm. "Stop patronising the young ones," she said, smiling.

"Come here, Sirius. Let's take a look at you," she said, moving closer to Sirius to inspect the damage.

"What potion were you making?"

"The Colour Concoction," said James. He opened Lily's potions textbook, which he'd brought out to show the adults.

"Ah, well, there lies your problem," Andy said, stepping back from Sirius.

"What problem?" gulped Sirius nervously. "I'm not going to stay like this forever, am I?"

Andromeda laughed. "Oh, of course not," she said, waving her arm. "I'm assuming you didn't notice that there's a warning at that bottom of that page?"

"There is!?" Lily grabbed the book from James. Holding it close to her face, she frowned.

"How on earth were we meant to see that? It's miniscule!" the red-head exclaimed.

"When we made it at school," chimed in Ted, "We were warned by our Professor that the potion is rather volatile. You have to be really careful what you say while making it because the colour changing properties are so delicate - they can latch on to anything."

"You guys obviously weren't warned about that…" Andy grinned at Sirius.

"Bloody Slushmore," muttered Sirius.

"Slughorn," corrected Remus as James sniggered.

"Whatever. Can you fix it?"

Andy shook her head, smiling. "I can't if you don't have the counter charm. There should be a book that has the reversal spell for any unwanted colour changes. Does it say which one at the bottom?" she asked Lily.

"_Antidotes, Remedies and Counter Charms: All Your Reversal Needs_," she read.

"Great. If you find that, I'll do the incantation for you," Andy said.

"Why doesn't the book just _have_ the reversal spell?" cried Sirius in frustration, glaring accusingly at the book in Lily's hands.

His cousin shrugged. "I guess the author wanted to be difficult."

"What if we can't find the book?" interrupted Remus, cutting off Sirius' retort.

"Well then, you'll probably have pink hair until it wears off, which might take a while. Sorry, Sirius," Andy said, patting him on the arm.

Sirius looked understandably stricken. "My amazingly good looks, ruined for ever!"

"Hey. You never know, some people might fancy pink," winked James, laughing.

"OK then, you lot should start looking for that book," interrupted Ted, leaning back on a garden table.

"The library?" asked Remus.

Andromeda shook her head. "As weird as it may sound, the library doesn't have that book. I think Bits and Bobs should stock it. They loan out a whole lot of things that people need for the home," Andy told them.

"Let's go then," said Lily, as they made their way back into the house.

"I'm not going out into public like this," said Sirius, pointing at his head. "I need a hat."

* * *

"This is a disaster!" cried Sirius as the four teenagers walked down the street.

"A rather amusing disaster," said Remus, chuckling.

The pink haired boy frowned. Sirius had found an old hat of Ted's, which he'd attempted to cover his hair with, stuffing most of the locks under the brim. A few bright pink strands had managed to escape however, and he'd angled the hat to slightly obscure his face, "I can't possibly be recognised looking like this!". The overall appearance was indeed rather amusing.

When the group reached the intersection leading into Main Street, Lily and Remus turned right, Sirius and James following their lead.

Within a few meters, Sirius spotted the shop they were headed for. Hopefully it would be able to save his beautiful hair from its current dreadful state.

A chime tinkled merrily as the group pushed through the door to the magical shop. A young, dark skinned girl with long black hair popped out from behind the counter suddenly and grinned at them all. She was wearing a bracelet made of gumnuts.

"Welcome to Bits and Bobs! I'm Anita, how can I help you today?"

As Lily began to explain their predicament, the girl 'oo-ed' and 'ahh-ed' in understanding, every so often shooting Sirius amused glances.

The self-conscious boy tuned in as Lily's explanation drew to a close.

"… so we were wondering whether we could borrow it for the day."

"Certainly," said Anita. "I'll just have to check the log book to see where it is."

She threw a smile in Sirius' direction as she moved over to a gigantic, old looking tome, and began to glance through the pages.

Sirius crossed his arms self-consciously and looked about the shop properly for the first time.

It was full of the most random collection of things Sirius had ever come across in one room. There were shelves of books, ranging from help in magical banquets, to a battered looking self-help book for squibs. An array of different coloured tea sets were arranged on the table in front of him, and a large box of silver items was sitting on another table off to his right. Baskets and shelves placed strategically around the room held even more items, and Sirius realised he was standing in the most sophisticated yet unorderly magical bric-a-brac shop he'd ever been in. It was rather brilliant.

He spotted James and Remus leaning over a basket of material that, upon closer inspection, turned out to be a jumble of wriggling oven-mitts. The three boys made their way slowly over to the front counter Lily was leaning against, examining anything of interest on the way. Sirius managed to get there first and spotted an amusing badge sporting a rude phrase concerning Merlin and a duck. Turning to call James and Remus over to the amusing sight, he was interrupted as Anita's voice rang through the shop.

"Oh dear," she said, as Sirius and Lily moved over to where she was looking at her log book.

"What is it?" he asked worriedly.

"It looks like the book you want has been lent out. It isn't due for another week. I'm so sorry," she said, giving Sirius an apologetic look.

"Who's borrowed it?" asked Remus politely from behind Sirius, making the pink haired boy jump.

"Mrs. Wood, from Brook Road, although I shouldn't be giving out details…" Anita said, frowning slightly.

"We understand, Miss, but it's very important that we get that book," said Remus, gesturing to Sirius' head.

"I know," said Anita, troubled, "but I really must adhere to shop rules."

At this point, James elbowed Sirius to the side and moved over to lean his elbows on the counter, giving Anita a rather dazzling smile and making Lily roll her eyes.

"I'm sure Mrs. Wood wouldn't mind us borrowing the book," said the raven haired boy. "And we'd only borrow it for a second."

Anita frowned slightly again, but James continued undeterred. "Of course, we'd ask permission to borrow the book first. The only thing is, we don't know her address, so we can't ask her."

"Couldn't you just wait until Mrs. Wood returns it?"

Sirius shook his head vehemently, strands of pink hair dislodging from under the hat and falling into his face. "I _can't_ have pink hair," he stressed.

Sighing, the dark skinned girl seemed to contemplate the consequences of Not Adhering To Shop Rules, but finally gave in. "Oh alright, I'll give you the address, but you have to promise to ask her very nicely. And maybe don't mention where you got your information from." Anita broke out into a mischievous smile as she pulled out the customer details file.

"Thank you, James Potter," said James smugly as they made their way down Main Street, the sought after address safely stowed away in Remus' pocket.

"I swear, Potter, your head is so inflated you might just float away any second now," said Lily.

"Aw, come on Evans. We're not at school right now, you don't have to hate me on holidays too," he turned around, giving her a sad puppy dog face that was probably intended to make her feel sorry for him.

Lily snorted. "Dream on, Potter," she said, as Remus elbowed her in the side and gave her a Look. The red-head rolled her eyes but fell silent.

"Eyes on the prize, people!" said Sirius, interrupting the three Gryffindors. "We are on a quest to find The Book, let's not get distracted!"

* * *

Three streets away from Remus' house, the four teenagers stood on the footpath of an ordered and tidy street. They tried to look like they weren't openly gawping at the cream coloured house in front of them as the occasional passer-by walked past.

"Think anyone's home?" asked Remus after they had been standing there for a few minutes, deciding how to proceed with their plan.

"One way to find out," said Lily, opening the low gate and marching up the cobbled foot path. The three boys glanced at each other before following.

"Doesn't look like anyone's home," said Remus, turning around to face his three companions. They'd been knocking at Mrs. Wood's door for the past three minutes.

Lily frowned. "I guess we'll just have to try later."

"Later? We can't wait for _later_!" cried a distressed Sirius. "I need that book. Now."

The red-head put her hands on her hips as she turned to Sirius. "Then what do you propose we do, Mr. I-can't-wait-for-anything?"

Sirius glared at her from under his hat, which was still covering his shock of pink hair.

As he failed to come up with an answer, Lily began to make her way back down the front steps. Before she'd gone far however, James put a hand out to stop her.

"What if we just… borrow it for a while…?" he asked, a hand resting contemplatively on his chin.

Lily gave him a sharp look. "We are not stealing that book, Potter!"

"We'd give it back! That's not stealing, that's borrowing," said the black haired boy matter-of-factly.

"Yes! That's a brilliant idea," exclaimed Sirius, nodding his head excitedly. "We'll just…go in, find it, get Andy to fix my hair, and bring it back. Mrs. Woods won't even know it was missing!"

Lily turned to Remus, her last hope. To her dismay, although he was frowning, the bob of his head indicated that he approved of the plan as well.

The auburn haired boy looked at her. "There's no other way, Lily. And we won't have it for very long." He suddenly grinned mischievously at her. "You know we're right," he said, nudging her gently with his elbow. The red head stuck out her tongue at him stubbornly but sighed in resignation. Fighting with the three boys would get her no where. A minute later, the group of teenagers was back on the footpath, standing by a rather large tree.

_I can't believe I've been talked into breaking into someone's house and stealing a book!_ Lily thought to herself, her eyes following an elderly couple amble past the group as she listened to her three companions make plans.

"Sirius will open the door with _alohamora_ and we'll go in really quickly and find the book," James was saying quietly so as not to be overheard.

As Lily's eyes pulled away from the couple rounding the corner, a sudden thought struck her. "How on earth are we not going to be _seen_?" asked the red-head, always the voice of reason and logic. She gestured around. "This street is pretty busy."

At her question, Remus and James exchanged a not-at-all-innocent glance.

"Well, there is one possibility…" James trailed off as the auburn haired boy grinned.

Lily narrowed her eyes. "Are we about to learn the secret to your trouble-making success?" she asked suspiciously, all her attention now focused on the two Gryffindor boys in front of her.

The boys in question glanced at each other again before James turned back to Lily.

"You have to swear that you won't tell anyone. Not a soul, and definitely not the teachers," James gave her such an intense look that the red head could not help but nod.

At her admission, the Gryffindor split into a massive grin and Lily cursed herself at the unexplainable fact that she was glad she's caused such elation to come to the boy's face.

Confused, she quickly shunned her thoughts away and looked at Remus, raising an eyebrow. The auburn haired boy just smiled at her in amusement.

"This… thing… is going to be awesome, isn't it?" asked Sirius, a slow smile growing on his face.

"Oh yes," Remus said, giving him a surprisingly disarming grin that left the pink haired boy momentarily muddled.

"So… do you have it with you?" asked Lily, a little impatiently.

James shook his head. "I'll go and get it," he said, before running off.

Returning a few minutes later and only slightly out of breath due to his exemplary physical condition, James noticed that their red-headed companion was missing.

"Where's Evans?" he asked, looking around as he walked over to join the two boys beneath the tree.

Sirius grinned as a stick came flying out of the air and hit James on the head.

"Ow!" Rubbing his head, the raven-haired boy looked up to see where the stick had come from. Above his head sat Lily, nimbly perched on one of the tree's vast branches. She looked like a wood nymph, gazing down innocently at him.

Ignoring the boy's glare, Lily nodded her head at the bundle in James' hands. "So, what've you got?"

Forgetting his annoyance at the red head in the face of such an important revealing, James grinned. "This," he said in an important voice, and quickly checking that no strangers were within ear shot, "is my invisibility cloak." Shaking the silvery material out, it flapped gently in the breeze, shimmering mysteriously.

James and Remus grinned at each other as Sirius made a rather amusing strangled sound of surprise and Lily's mouth popped open in shock.

"You've got to be kidding!" she cried, her eyes bulging slightly in a comical fashion as she gawped at the cloak.

"No, I'm actually rather serious," said James, smug that his prized possession had received such a reaction.

"No you're not," said Sirius suddenly.

"What?" frowned James, confused. "Yes I am!"

"No. I'm Sirius," grinned Sirius as Remus hit him on the arm.

Chuckling at his own pun, Sirius' eyes returned to the precious material in James' hands. "Where on Earth did you get this? They're supposed to be really rare," he asked, reverently fingering the cloak.

James shrugged. "It was my dad's."

The black haired boy started as Lily leapt out of the tree and landed next to him lightly.

"No wonder you got away with all those pranks," she said in a reproachful, if slightly awed voice. "You were invisible!"

Remus grinned at her. "It's great." He said it so reverently that Sirius laughed.

"School is going to be even better than I hoped," the ex-Durmstrang student said, as his eyes locked with the auburn haired boy's. Remus smiled back at him.

After the initial shock and wonder of James' cloak had worn off, the four teenagers got down to business.

"We've decided that I'll be the look out," Lily informed James, as she motioned to the tree. "I'll be able to see everything from up there and no one will see me unless they happen to look up. I'll let you know if someone's coming."

"And how will you do that? You can't exactly yell it out to us, otherwise you'll look like a raving lunatic stuck up a tree," James grinned at the red head as she glared half-heartedly at him.

"Actually," intervened Remus, "we've thought of that too. Sirius knows a charm from his old school where you can link yourselves with other people so that if you talk into you're hand, the other people will be able to hear what you're saying in their head."

"It's sort of like walkie talkies but adapted," added Lily.

James and Sirius gave her a funny look and the red head rolled her eyes. "Forget it, it's a Muggle thing," she said.

After the appropriate charm had been said by Sirius, Lily clambered back up into the tree.

"Go over there for a second," she said, pointing a few metres away.

Obligingly, the three boys jogged over and stood waiting.

After a pause, Lily's voice sounded in their ears, buzzing slightly. "Testing, testing, one, two, three," she said.

Raising his right fist, Remus quietly spoke into his knuckle. "Yep, it's working," he murmured and the three boys returned to the tree as Lily gave them a thumbs up.

"Alrighty then. Operation Book-Borrowing has commenced," said James as they made sure no one was looking at them. Quickly, but with practiced ease, he threw the invisibility cloak onto himself, Remus and Sirius.

"Good luck," Lily whispered as the three boys made their way up the cobbled path yet again.

After a whispered _alohamora_, Remus, James and Sirius entered the house, shutting the door quickly behind them. They had taken four steps into the bright and open sitting room, when a movement on a creamy coloured couch caught their eyes. Even though they were still invisible, the boys froze, hearts thumping in alarm. As their eyes adjusted to the glare of the sun, which was shining through the front window, they realised that a dog was curled up on the couch staring rather intently at a spot a bit to the right of where they stood.

"It's blind," whispered Remus suddenly, noticing the milky white cataracts in the dog's eyes. The old jack russell continued to sniff the air, and as they stood watching it, Sirius noticed a collar and name tag; 'Niki,' was etched into the metal disc. After a final sniff and a half hearted bark, Niki settled back to sleep lazily in the sun.

"Some guard dog," chuckled Sirius and the three knew they would have no trouble from the canine.

Adrenalin continued to course through Sirius' body as they made their way further into the house. He knew that his quickened heart rate was due to the fact that they were currently _breaking into a house_ for a book, and also because he was _invisible_, but the dark haired boy had a suspicion that it was also due to the fact that he was dangerously close to Remus Lupin. The three boys had had to huddle together closely in order to fit under the cloak and so Sirius's side was pressed against Remus's as they shuffled along. His heart jumped a bit as Remus turned his head and smiled at him, his eyes slightly covered by tousled bangs.

Although the group was pretty sure there was no one home, they had decided to talk in whispers and stay under the cloak for as long as possible. As they reached stairs that led up to another landing, the boys stopped.

"OK, I'm going to go check up there," whispered James as he pulled the cloak off of them, motioning to the stairs.

"Take the cloak with you," Remus told him. "There might still be someone up there. We'll check down here and let you know if we find it."

James nodded, disappearing up the stairs and leaving Sirius and Remus on the ground level.

As they made their way cautiously past the stairs, the two boys kept an eye out for the elusive book. They had searched the whole front room, when a distressed voice sounded in their ears.

"You guys, she's coming back! Get out of there!" they heard Lily whisper urgently.

Sirius and Remus threw each other an anxious look as they looked around fervently for a place to hide.

"In here," whispered Sirius quickly, flinging open a door in the hallway, grabbing Remus by the arm and pulling him inside. They had just shut the door when they heard the sound of keys jangling and the front door opening and closing. Remus could only hope that James had found a good hiding place, even if he did have the cloak.

From their position, Sirius and Remus could hear the bustle of an elderly lady as she entered the sitting room. The sound of snuffling could be heard as Niki woke and discovered his mistress had arrived home.

"Och, wee lad, Mama always forgets her purse, doesn't she?" a wafery voice drifted over to them. "I'm such a silly chook," Mrs. Woods shuffled closer to where they were hidden and both boys tensed. As she continued to search for her purse, Mrs. Woods hummed to herself, oblivious to the three teenagers hiding in her house. After a few minutes the unmistakable sound of coins jangling in a bag could be heard outside the door to where Remus and Sirius stood.

"Och, yes, here it is. I found it love, not to worry," the elderly lady told her devoted companion. "I'll be back before tea, my pet." The two stow-aways listened as Mrs. Woods left and Niki resumed his place on the couch.

Not daring to leave their hiding place yet, Sirius and Remus unanimously decided to wait until the coast was very, very clear.

As Remus' eyes acclimatised to the dark, he realised that they were actually standing in a broom cupboard.

After the scare of nearly being caught had subsided a little, the auburn haired boy became aware that he and Sirius were standing very, very close to each other. The broom cupboard was actually rather small and when Sirius had pulled him inside there had been no space to really manoeuvre without causing a hell of a ruckus. Their sides touched and their bodies made a v-shape in the small confines of the cupboard. With a jolt, Remus realised that Sirius was still holding his arm from when he had grabbed him. Looking down, butterflies erupted in the werewolf's stomach as he registered that Sirius's thumb was slowly tracing circles on the boys' wrist. Although the gesture seemed unconscious on Sirius' part, each motion of the rough pad sent courses of electricity up Remus' body.

The auburn haired boy's breathing quickened as he looked up at Sirius in the gloom. The dark haired boy was gazing at him with an unreadable expression on his face. The angle of their bodies left their faces merely inches apart and Remus, slightly shorter than Sirius, could feel his breath wash over his cheek.

Heat blazoned through Remus's body and a red tinge spread up the back of his neck as a number of inappropriate urges coursed through him.

Looking at Sirius again, he saw that the boy had finally noticed the actions of his hand. The ex-Durmstrang student stared as his thumb continued to draw circles on Remus wrist. The Gryffindor watched in wonder as Sirius looked up at him again. Their eyes locked and tension and electricity crackled in the air. Still looking into the auburn haired boy's eyes, Sirius gently but deliberately slid his hand further down the werewolf's arm until he had entwined his fingers in Remus'. The Gryffindor's eyes widened as a faint blush spread across the pink haired boy's cheeks.

"Oi! I found it!" The door to the broom cupboard burst open, blinding the two boys as the light streamed in. They jumped apart as if electrocuted, crashing into the brooms and mops that lent against the side walls.

"Fuck, James! Way to scare the living shits out of us," cursed Sirius as he rightened the brooms he had knocked over, flushing.

Caught up as they had been, the two flustered boys had failed to hear James' footsteps as he'd come down the stairs and into the hallway. Confused and embarrassed, Remus scowled at James as the boy held up their much sought after book. The thought of it had slipped both Sirius' and Remus' mind.

Pointedly ignoring his friends' embarrassment, James motioned for them to come closer. The raven haired boy had by no means missed what he had accidentally interrupted but it was no time to act awkward and he resolved to grill the boys about it later. "Come on, we should get out of here," he said.

Under the cloak, the three boys huddled together once more, Remus and Sirius avoiding eye contact and James smiling knowingly at their heads. They passed the snoozing Niki and opened the front door discreetly, before quickly making their way down the garden path to Lily's tree.

"We're here," whispered James.

"Is there anyone coming?" she asked.

The boys looked around.

"Nope."

"OK, make sure I don't jump onto you," she warned and then leapt out of the tree, as nimble as a cat.

After they pulled off the invisibility cloak, James showed her the book as Sirius and Remus caught each others' eye and blushed faintly.

"Great!" relief passed over Lily's face. "I was really scared she would catch you. Where'd you hide?"

Glancing quickly at his two friends, James answered first, "I had the invisibility cloak and was upstairs when you warned us so I sort of stayed in the room I was in, just in case she came upstairs."

Lily nodded and turned towards Sirius expectantly.

"Um, Remus and I hid in a broom cupboard," he said, not allowing himself to look in the auburn haired boy's direction.

Lily nodded. "We should probably get back to Andy and then return this book as soon as we can," she said after a pause.

The group began to make their way back to the Tonks' house. They ended up walking in twos, with Remus and Sirius leading and Lily and James making an unlikely pairing behind.

Lily shot a quick glance at James and was surprised to see that he was smirking knowingly at his two friend's backs. Mind beginning to whirl in suspicion, the sole female component of the group frowned at the back of the so far silent Remus.

"Are you alright, Remus?" she asked him, concerned at her friend's lack of exuberance, especially since they had just been through a particularly… exciting…piece of mischief.

The werewolf's head snapped up and he turned around to face Lily and James, effectively walking backwards.

Giving a small smile he said, "I guess I'm still just a bit freaked that we were nearly caught trespassing on someone's property."

Noticing that Lily looked unconvinced, he was thankful that the red head didn't pursue the matter. Turning back around, Remus glanced at the pink haired boy next to him. Sirius strolled along, wearing a lazy smile and for all the world looking like he had no idea what had just happened between himself and Remus.

The werewolf frowned to himself, understandably confused at the boy's behaviour. Unless Remus was completely and utterly hopeless at reading into people's gestures, it had been Sirius who had clasped their hands together in that broom cupboard, and now he was acting like nothing had happened. It confused and worried the auburn haired boy to no end. Was he supposed to act as if nothing had happened? Perhaps he had imagined the whole thing. Wishful thinking and all that…

"Excited about finally getting your hair back to normal?" James broke through Remus' musings. "Or would you prefer to leave it pink?" the Gryffindor teased Sirius.

"Sirius Black cannot have pink hair," the boy exclaimed dramatically as an answer.

The group were just walking up the path to number 24, when little Nymphadora ran out to greet them. Amusingly, she still sported pink hair. As the group, now plus a miniature female Sirius, made their way into the house, they found Andy and Ted in the kitchen sitting at the dining table.

"Oh, you've got it!" she said happily as they entered the room.

"Indeed," said James, placing the book in front of them.

"You know, if I were you," Ted told Andy seriously, "I'd just leave him with pink hair as punishment."

Sirius glared half-heartedly at the man as Ted flashed him a grin.

"OK, guys, I've found it," said Andy, pointing a finger at a page half way through the vast book. "You ready, Sirius?"

He nodded fervently, taking off his hat and passing it to Remus.

As Andy performed the incantation Sirius felt an odd trickling sensation flow over his hair, something akin to an egg cracking on top of his head. After a few minutes the feeling stopped and Sirius opened the eyes he hadn't realised he'd shut.

Glancing suspiciously at everyone, he asked, "Did it work?"

Catching Remus' eye, the boy smiled at Sirius and gave a small nod. Andy conjured up a mirror so that he could examine his hair properly. Breaking out into a grin at his newly restored appearance, the dark haired boy stated grandly, "I could hug _everyone._"

James put up his hands as if warding off a demon. "Stay away!" he cried dramatically.

Rolling her eyes, Lily grabbed Remus by the arm and pulled him out of the kitchen, grabbing the book they had 'borrowed' on the way. James took their lead as did Sirius a moment later, after thanking his cousin and saluting the three Tonkses seated at the dining table.

* * *

Lily watched on in interest as Remus and James left the front room in a whispered conversation. She noted in amusement, but with a hint of confusion that Remus was turning beet read. Her mind again a whirlwind of suspicions, she looked over at Sirius who was busy flipping through a Muggle magazine, staring in fascination at the various foreign objects.

Late evening had descended and the four teenagers had left the Tonks' household for that of the Lupin's. Both John and Wendy Lupin were out for the evening, much to the group's delight. They had successfully returned The Book back to its residence of Mrs. Wood's bedside table (without any mishaps and happenings in broom cupboards) and were enjoying the evening after a rather stressful day.

She and Sirius looked up as Remus made his way back into the room. He grinned at Sirius' quizzical glance, any trace of embarrassment apparently banished. "James is just getting something from his room," he said as explanation.

Lily nodded. Getting up, she made her way to the door.

"Bathroom," she said as Remus raised an eyebrow in question.

Upon her way back to the front room, Lily passed James in the corridor. In a moment of inspiration, the red head grabbed the Gryffindor's arm as he passed her and hauled him into the kitchen with surprising strength. After a look of surprise, James face split into a grin.

"Why Evans, I knew you couldn't resist me," he said, leering at her in what he obviously thought was a seductive manner.

Lily rolled her eyes. "Stop it, Potter," she said. Deciding to get straight to the point and avoid a round of useless banter, she asked bluntly, "What's going on with Remus?"

James' eyes widened a bit in surprise before he controlled his features and smiled innocently. "What do you mean?"

Lily shot him an irritated look. "Don't play dumb with me, Potter. I know there's something going on. He's been acting…" she paused, unable to pinpoint Remus' exact behaviour with words. "… just differently, all afternoon. Quieter, more subdued…" she trailed off.

Looking at James she caught a hint of wariness in his eyes. "Maybe he's just feeling a little ill?" he said.

The red head shook her head. "It's not that. What were you guys whispering about before?"

Relief passed across James' face as he realised what Lily was picking up on. It had nothing to do with Remus'… condition. He chuckled quietly to himself, eliciting another irritated look from the red head.

"What?" she asked annoyed.

Giving her an appraising look the boy said, "Hopefully, Evans, you are indeed as smart as you make out to be and you have picked up on what's been going on between Remus and Sirius."

Lily glared at him a moment before the rest of his sentence sunk in.

She grinned. "I knew there was something going on! What happened?"

James smirked and shrugged casually. "They were in a broom cupboard," he said, deliberately leaving it at that as he watched her mind race through the possibilities.

A gleam entered the red head's eye before James rudely burst her metaphorical bubble with, "But nothing happened." He shook his head forlornly.

"What?"

"Nothing happened. I sort of, um, accidentally opened the door on them before anything could." He rubbed the back of his neck a little sheepishly.

Lily rolled her eyes at him in exasperation. "Nice one, Potter."

"Hey! How was I to know what was going on?" he defended.

The girl just shook her head.

"But Remus said that Sirius did hold his hand!" James cried almost triumphantly.

Lily gave a rather un-Lily like giggle. "That's adorable!"

James shrugged again, but a smile played on his lips.

"Come on, we better get back," he said suddenly, inclining his head to the door. Turning, he left the kitchen, Lily following behind smiling. Remus and Sirius were finally beginning to fall for each other. _We're making progress! _She grinned to herself. It thrilled her to no end.

**

* * *

A/N:** A little interesting fact: the second half of this chapter was edited in Montpellier by my beta _**amberbelle**_ during her recent trip to France! As I am all the way in Australia, I find this very exciting. My story has been around the world, people!

Reviews are love.


	9. Silver

**Disclaimer:** Even if I have plastic surgery and change my name, I never will be as brilliant as the real J.K Rowling.

**A/N:** YAY for quicker posts! I apologize in advance however to the die-hard Remus/Sirius fans but this chapter is rather Lily-centric. Hope you all don't hate it :D

**

* * *

Chapter Nine: Silver**

Remus was tired. Very tired. And it wasn't the 'I-didn't-have-much-sleep-last-night' type of tired. His whole body ached from exhaustion. For the umpteenth time, Remus cursed his affliction.

"Are you alright, mate?" asked James worriedly as the two boys stood in the Lupin kitchen.

Remus slowly put down the cup that was rattling gently in its saucer.

"I'm fine, really. Just… tired," he said, shaking his head.

"Look, we don't have to go out today. Just tell the others that you're coming down with something and that you don't want to go. I'll stay with you," said James, frowning.

"No. I'm going. I'm not going to let this… affect me. I want to go."

James frowned again but nodded silently. There wasn't much hope in changing Remus' mind. Not when he got like this.

At the front of the house, a door opened and banged closed.

"Morning!" cried Sirius cheerily as he strode into the kitchen.

James and Remus turned around to look at him.

"Morning, mate!" smiled James.

Sirius grinned while he took in his surroundings and his sight zeroed in on a weakly smiling Remus. The grin faltered as he registered the Gryffindor's world-weary appearance, and was replaced with an unimaginable urge to hit whatever had caused the boy to feel so down, on the head. With a very large hammer. Sirius wanted to comfort him, to hold him close and whisper calming notions into his ear, to stroke his soft auburn hair gently…

"Remus?" he asked worriedly before his thoughts could get away from him. Moving closer to the boy he stopped with a hand on his shoulder and looked anxiously into his face. Startled at the contact, the auburn haired boy blinked at him.

"I'm fine, really Sirius. I'm just coming down with something," he said, glancing quickly at James before looking back at the boy who was still hovering worriedly in front of him. Smiling, this time with more force, Remus looked down at the hand on his shoulder.

"Sirius, you can let go of me now."

The black haired boy blinked before looking at his own hand in surprise. A smile slowly spread across the handsome boy's face.

"Oh, no. You can't get rid of me that easily!" he cried and proceeded to crush Remus in a bear hug. Amongst thoughts of, _oh my god, Sirius is hugging me,_ Remus registered that the boy wasn't actually using a great deal of force. Obviously he was still worried about his condition.

After a few moments of the two boys secretly delighting in the fact that they were touching and hugging and it felt remarkably _good_, they withdrew from their rough embrace.

James was grinning at them, hands on hips.

"Alright, you lovebirds, let's go meet Lily," he said, proceeding out of the kitchen.

* * *

They met Lily on the corner of Main Street where the daily shoppers bustled to and fro.

"You know, we should go say thank you to Anita," said the red head as they made their way out of a small sandwich bar, milkshakes clutched in hand.

"Who?" asked Sirius.

Lily gave him an incredulous look. "The girl in Bits and Bobs? The one who broke the rules by telling us where Mrs. Woods lives? The one who saved your sorry hair!"

Remus put his hands out to calm the red head down.

"Don't worry, Lils, he remembers."

Sirius was grinning. "Oh yeah, her," he said as James snorted.

Sipping their milkshakes, the group crossed the road and made their way over to the shop.

Inside, they found Anita busy with another customer. She smiled at them and held up a finger before returning to help an old gentleman with a rather large looking tea set.

The teenagers dispersed across the shop. Looking at the contents of Bits and Bobs was never a dull activity.

Lily was staring fascinatingly at a sequined mask when she heard Sirius cry out.

"Hey, Remus. Look at this!"

She turned just in time to see Sirius chuck a silver something in Remus' direction. The boy, caught unawares, reached out with lighting fast reflexes and caught the object as it came whizzing towards him. He'd held the thing for only a second before the auburn haired boy dropped it. Only Lily heard his small gasp.

"Whoops," said Remus, sheepishly. "Clumsy me." He made no move to pick up the item.

James, who had also been watching, plucked the silver object off of the ground from where it had fallen. He glanced at Remus.

"Sorry, mate!" called Sirius from across the room. "Should have warned you."

Remus gave him a small smile, rubbing his hand on his pant leg. "You throw too hard, Sirius."

The ex-Durmstrang student chuckled and returned to looking in the basket which held a collection of silver things, the offending object that James was still holding forgotten.

Lily frowned to herself as she turned back to the mask. Her musings, however, were interrupted as she noticed a magnificent jeweled butterfly clip. She moved over to look at it in more detail, thoughts of silver and boys who never dropped things forgotten.

James moved closer to his friend after putting the silver thing – which had turned out to be a shiny phallus – down on one of the many small tables.

"You alright, mate?" he asked quietly, as Remus carefully flipped the pages of an ancient looking book.

"Fine," said Remus. The auburn haired boy looked up to see James looking at him worriedly.

"Fine," he repeated firmly.

Half an hour later, the four teenagers left the store after having thanked Anita for her help the other day and James had bought a mysterious something which he would show no one.

As they slowly made their way over to a nearby park, Lily reached in her bag for her handkerchief. As she rummaged around – honestly, sometimes she thought the bag was never ending – her fingers brushed against a box. Frowning, she slowed down, pulling out the foreign container and inspecting it curiously. Throwing caution to the wind, she lifted the lid and gasped at what lay inside. The beautiful butterfly clip she had been fawning over lay on a layer of cream tissue paper, a note reading, _I saw that you liked it_ lying underneath.

Surprised, she looked up quickly at James who was walking in front of her and a little to her right. Facing Remus, and subsequently walking side ways, his hair was, as usual, unruly and his glasses glinted in the sun. Laughing while he talked to his fellow Gryffindor, James glanced at Lily. As a natural instinct he averted his gaze when he saw that she was looking at him, but quickly glanced back, smiling slightly as he noticed what she was holding. Giving her a small wink, he turned back to Remus, leaving Lily very confused and alone with her feelings.

* * *

Lily was bored. She had finished all the homework she'd planned to do for the week, had finished reading the pile of books on her bedside table and couldn't for the life of her decide what to do next.

Pulling out her trusty notebook, she flipped through the pages, slightly guilty that she had neglected it during the past few weeks. She'd been too preoccupied with hanging out with Remus, Sirius and James to devote any real time into writing in the black notebook.

She stopped suddenly at a page which bore Remus' neat cursive writing. She grinned.

"Brilliant!"

In the corner of the page, Remus had written down the name of a book he owned that he had read and apparently fallen in love with. Lily hadn't yet had the chance to read it and she thought this was the perfect opportunity to start, seeing as she had nothing better to do.

Pulling on a coat, she left her house and made her way briskly to Remus' home. As she walked, she looked up at the dark sky.

_Full moon tonight,_ she thought to herself, glancing in the direction of the concealed moon.

After a few minutes she had made it to the Lupin's house. Skipping a bit up the path, the red head looked over at the Tonks' house next door as a big bang issued from the building. She smiled to herself. Andy was making Sirius help her build something for the garden and it sounded as if they were having a bit of trouble.

Turning her attention back to the door in front of her, Lily knocked and waited. At the sound of a latch undoing she stepped back a bit and was surprised to find James had answered the door.

"Evans," he greeted, also surprised.

"Potter. Hi."

"Hi."

Before things could get more awkward, Lily said "Listen, about the clip-"

"I'm not taking it back," James cut her off.

Lily shook her head and gave a small smile. "No, it's not that. I just wanted to say – thanks."

"Oh," said James, slightly lost for words. He'd been expecting another huge rejection like he usually got.

"Under any other circumstances I would have had to refuse," Lily continued, "But - well – I really want it."

James grinned. "No problem."

"Yeah… so, um, is Remus here? I wanted to borrow a book."

"He's a bit ill actually," said the black haired boy quickly. "He probably can't see you."

"Oh. I hope he's alright."

James shrugged, wearing a guarded look.

"Well, if he's sick, I'd like to visit him," she said, stepping closer. James didn't move.

"I'm sorry, Evans. He's really sick and most likely really contagious. He probably doesn't want to see anyone."

"Look, he doesn't have to see me if he doesn't want to," said Lily frowning. "Are you sure he's OK?"

James nodded stubbornly. "He's OK, but just not up to seeing anyone." The black haired boy silently prayed that Lily would drop the subject.

The red head nodded. "Alright. But look, now that I'm here, I might as well just borrow the book. He doesn't have to get out of bed or anything, he can tell you where it is."

"No," James' voice was strangely intense. Lily frowned in confusion.

"Fine," she sighed, giving up. "I'll just go, then."

James watched as she made her way down the garden path.

Frowning to herself, Lily contemplated James' odd behaviour.

_He __was acting rather…_

Before she could finish her thought, the red head was suddenly doused in a ray of moonlight, the silvery orb coming out from behind a cloud. She froze, staring up at the full moon.

Somewhere in the distance, a wolf howled.

And then suddenly everything clicked into place. The silver in the shop, the monthly disappearances, the scars… No words were needed to explain. She knew.

"Oh my God," whispered Lily.

Suddenly she found tears forming in her eyes as she stood illuminated in the moonlight. They streaked down her face as she stood, head bent and shoulders shaking in the middle of the garden path.

James, unable to watch the girl he loved in such distress, quietly stepped towards her and took her in his arms.

They stood there for a long time, Lily in shock and in grief, unable to comprehend the injustice of such a kind and loving person having to be subjected to this misery, and James just holding onto her shaking form.

"It's so unfair…" Lily finally whispered.

"I know," said James quietly, his own voice hoarse with emotion.

Lily wiped her eyes with her hands before looking up at the boy who was still holding her. She didn't pull away.

"Oh God, Remus," she gulped, eyes shining. "How long have you known?"

James didn't answer, instead pulling her gently down the path, away from the house.

"Come on, I'll take you home."

Lily didn't protest as they walked silently to her house, the black haired boy still holding a comforting arm around her shoulders.

As they made their way to the front door, Lily pulled out her keys, her hand shaking slightly as she opened the door. The house was dark and quiet as James followed the red head up a flight of stairs.

"My parents and sister are at a dinner party," she said, answering his silent question, switching on a light in the hallway.

"Why aren't you there?" he asked.

Pushing open a white door, Lily looked back at the black haired boy. "I don't really like dinner parties much," she said.

He nodded silently as he followed her into the room.

Lily made her way over to her bed, sitting down rather heavily on the white spread. As James sat down on the floor, back resting against a white cupboard, the red head slid down to accompany the boy. Lily facing the cupboard James was leaning against, and he the bed, they sat in silence for a few minutes.

"How long have you known?" asked Lily finally, echoing her earlier question.

"Peter and I figured it out in second year."

Lily nodded. A few more moments of silence passed before she suddenly cried out angrily, "I can't believe I never realised!"

She was frustrated at herself for not having paid enough attention to her friend, frustrated for not giving him the support and comfort when he needed it.

James looked at her. "Lily, no one _was – _is_ - _supposed to find out. We only figured it out because we spend all our time together. He hides it well," he finished quietly.

"Why didn't he tell me?" she whispered, almost to herself.

"Imagine being a werewolf, Lily. People are scared of you, they despise you. No one wants to be your friend. Why would you go around telling people what you are if all you'll get is rejection and hate?"

"But I don't care about that!" cried Lily, tears welling in her eyes again. She brushed them away angrily. "I don't give a fuck that he turns into a wolf every month! He should know that. Why didn't you tell me? Or Peter? You know that he's my friend too."

James gave her an intense look. "It's not our secret to tell."

Lily looked at him and at that moment, she couldn't think why she'd ever though of him as a selfish prick.

Nodding, she leaned her head back on the bed and looked up at her white ceiling, releasing a huge sigh.

"It's so unfair," she whispered again. James was silent, staring out the window at the dark sky.

Silence reigned as they sat opposite each other, lost in their own thoughts.

After a while Lily spoke again, "And the silver, in the shop…?"

"Remus is allergic to it."

"But what about Sickles?"

"Sickles are silver, yes, but there's a coating that protects the coin from being duplicated and so werewolves can touch them without being burnt," James explained.

"You're so calm about all of this," said Lily, looking at the boy across from her.

"I've had time to come to terms with it," James said quietly, looking down at his hands. "But it's not easy, you know, knowing what happens to your friend every full moon."

Lily leant forward and placed a hand over his, squeezing lightly. James looked up at her, and gave her a sad smile. Pulling back, the red head asked, "Where does he go?"

"You know the Whomping Willow?"

Lily nodded.

"There's a tunnel under it that leads to the Shrieking Shack."

Her mouth formed an 'oh' in surprise. "I never knew."

"Well, you weren't supposed to."

Lily wrapped her arms around herself suppressing a shudder and the two Gryffindors fell silent once again. The shock of her discovery was slowly but surely wearing off now, leaving the red head with a hollow feeling and a sadness so immense that she fought hard not to dwell on it. She realised that her conversation with James had helped her overcome most of the blow and she was silently thankful to the dark haired boy.

The light woke her a few hours later, streaming in through the window and dousing her in early morning sunshine. She blinked blearily, surprised that she had fallen asleep. Glancing at James she saw the boy sprawled in the same position he had been sitting in a few hours prior with his head leaning back on the cupboard, mouth slightly open and glasses askew. Lily couldn't help but smile. Rubbing the sleep out of her eyes she quietly stood up, looking at her alarm clock as she pulled on a jumper. It was six in the morning.

A grunt behind her informed her that James had woken and she turned to face him while sitting down on her bed.

"Your floor is really comfortable," he said as he rubbed his face.

"Thanks."

"Time?"

"Six o'clock. My parents will probably be getting up in an hour."

James nodded. "I should probably be going then. They might not like waking up to strange boys in your room."

Lily smiled but shrugged.

As they made their way to the door, Lily put a hand on James' arm.

"Look, James. Thank you for last night. I don't think I'd have been able to calm down if you hadn't been there," Lily didn't meet his eye, instead looking resolutely at a spot over his shoulder. Even in an occasion such as this, the red head had trouble swallowing her pride. She had, after all, spent the last five years hating James Potter.

James nodded, accepting her gratitude for what it was: honest. "No problem," he smiled at her. "I'm always prepared to help damsels in distress."

Rolling her eyes but with a small smile on her face, Lily led him down the stairs. As they crept to the front door they met no sudden shouts of "who the hell is he!?" and reached the front steps without incident.

As Lily stood near the front door watching James leave, he turned back to her, frowning.

"Look, Sirius doesn't know. So, it would be best if it stays that way until Remus thinks he should, OK?"

Lily nodded. "Will you tell him I know?" she asked quietly.

James looked at her. "He deserves to know."

Nodding again, Lily wrapped her arms around herself. "Tell him I don't care."

James gave her a sad smile. "Thanks, Lily," he said, before turning to leave.

* * *

James closed the door of Remus' room quietly, taking in the sight of the weak boy lying on the bed. Compared to some of the other recovery days he'd been present at, it looked as if last night's moon hadn't been too bad. Remus stirred as James moved over to sit in the arm chair that had been placed next to the bed. He reached out and gently pushed the hair from the werewolf's forehead. Remus' eyes flickered open and he smiled weakly up at his best friend.

"Hey," he greeted hoarsely.

"Shh," murmured James, before helping him drink some water from the glass on the bedside table.

Exhausted even from such a small task, Remus leant back on his pillows as James idly played with the edges of the blanket.

"Where were you last night?" whispered Remus. "Mum said that you weren't home."

"I was at Lily's," said James softly, keeping in mind his friend's heightened senses. The werewolf raised an eyebrow at him.

"Lily's?" he asked curiously.

James looked down at his hands and Remus felt a sense of foreboding creep up on him.

"She knows, Remus," whispered James.

Shock, hurt, pain, and lastly fear crossed over the auburn haired boy's face.

"What?"

"She knows. She figured it out… with the silver, and the moon and everything…" he trailed off, stricken at the look on his friend's face.

Small pinpricks of tears welled up in the corners of Remus' eyes. "No," he groaned. "My first friend ever and now she hates me!"

"No! Remus! She doesn't hate you. She doesn't give a damn about what you are!"

"She'll never look at me the same way again. All she'll see is a monster. That's what I am." Self-hatred laced his words.

"Remus," said James in an intense voice. "You. Are. Not. A. Monster. She does not hate you. No one hates you!"

Remus shook his head, groaning again. "Everybody hates me."

"They don't!" James would have yelled if it hadn't been for Remus' over-sensitive ear drums. "Look what your parents have done for you. Look at me and Peter. Look at Dumbledore. We didn't desert you, we don't hate you!" he whispered fiercely.

Remus looked at the emotion whirling in James' eyes and fell quiet, leaning back on his pillows and closing his eyes, grimacing.

"Lily doesn't care," said James again as the werewolf's breathing became even once more.

Remus' mind was an ocean of emotions. Hurt, fear, and worry all swirled through him as he lay, trying to ignore the itch of his fresh wounds. Lily knew. She knew; she had figured it out. Even through his fear that she would reject him, he was ashamed that he had not trusted her enough to tell her himself. She was a good person and he was a coward.

* * *

Remus woke to the feel of a hand holding his own. He looked down and saw that it was connected to an arm that was connected to a person with bright red hair. Lily's head was resting near his thigh, having fallen asleep while sitting in another armchair next to James.

As he shifted, James looked up from where he had been watching Lily sleep and smiled at him.

"See?"

Remus frowned, but was saved from responding by a stirring Lily. Sitting up, she rubbed her neck before noticing the werewolf's open eyes. The red head smiled at him tentatively, unsure as to what his reaction would be. She received a small smile in return. Standing up, she kissed him gently on the forehead, red hair softly brushing across his face and neck.

As she pulled back, Remus looked into her eyes. He saw no hatred, no fear, no disgust, and most of all, no pity. He really hated pity. Lily saw the best in people and shame welled up deep inside him for the fact that he had not trusted her enough to tell her his secret. He saw love, and compassion and forgiveness. She had forgiven him for not telling her.

Lily looked in Remus' eyes and in his, she read acceptance. She knew, and he was OK with that.

No words were needed.

**

* * *

A/N:** Oooooh, I'm a little worried about this chapter because I know some people will hate it. I hope it wasn't too bad! If you really did hate it, it would probably be best if you didn't tell me since I might just cry :P. However, if you have any con-crit to give, I don't mind that. Just make it justified and as nice as you can :D And if you happened to like it, let me know too!

Cheers!


	10. Moony, Padfoot and Prongs

**Disclaimer:** I own nothing.

**WARNINGS/Author's note**: This chapter is very random - it's not really even a chapter, really. It is made up of three random scenes which show how Remus, Sirius and James get their nicknames. I wanted to somehow incorporate the boys' nicknames into the story, but because this obviously isn't cannon, I had to think up my own way. So yes, I admit it's rather random and odd but hopefully you like it! Although Lily is in on the names, she doesn't get one herself (since it's the boys' thing) and she's fine with it! Peter will get his later.

Thanks to my beta _**amberbelle**_ and for all your reviews. You guys are awesome! Enjoy!

* * *

**Chapter Ten: Moony, Padfoot and Prongs**

Sirius was on one of his walks, casually strolling the leafy streets of Abilene, when he rounded a corner and recognized a hunched figure a few meters away from him. Remus was sitting on a park bench, reading. Grinning wickedly at such a perfect opportunity for troublemaking, Sirius silently crept up behind the intensely concentrating boy and bent down, putting his mouth close to Remus' ear. He took a deep breath and shouted the first word that came into his head - _very_ loudly.

"EPIPHENY!!!!!!!!!!!!!"

"AAAAAAAARRRRRRRGGGGGHHHHHHHH!!!!!" Remus flew three feet into the air and landed on the ground in a scrambled heap. His heart beating wildly, the boy stared up at Sirius's figure, which was bent-double and convulsing slightly. He realized that the black haired boy was laughing at him.

"What the _fuck_, Sirius? What the hell did you go sneaking up on me for? I didn't even hear you! I swear you had - like - padded feet or something," he ranted, extremely annoyed and rather disgruntled.

Sirius, who had during this time somewhat controlled his laughter, looked down at the boy still lying on the ground. Then he made a show of inspecting his right foot.

"Nup, sorry mate, doesn't look like they're that padded to me. I must just have super-quite feet," he said seriously, then flashed Remus a wicked smile.

Remus glowered at him. "Ah, shut it."

Sirius took the liberty to look mildly offended, the vision ruined by the laughter in his eyes.

"Fine then, if you're going to be like that, I'll just say I _do_ have padded feet."

Remus, whose heart was slowly returning to a normal speed, glared up at him some more, though only half heartedly. He took the hand Sirius was offering him but wasn't expecting to be pulled up as fast as he was. As he felt himself propel forward, Remus placed the palm of his hand on Sirius's chest to avoid crashing bodily into him. The material of the black haired boy's shirt was soft and silky and he could feel the muscles of the boy's chest through the thin fabric. Blushing slightly, Remus quickly took his hand away and looked up at Sirius, who was giving him a peculiar look. After a moment, the look passed and the ex-Durmstrang student released his grip on Remus' hand and upper arm, which the auburn haired boy hadn't noticed he had still been holding.

"Where's James, anyway? I thought he'd be with you," asked Sirius as Remus collected his book, which had fallen to the ground.

"Nah, he wanted to go to the library or something."

"James, in the library!? _Never_!" cried Sirius.

Remus laughed. "I reckon it's got something to do with Lily."

"I see. Well, Mr. Lupin," said Sirius suddenly, changing the subject. "Let your dear pad-footed friend walk you back to your humble abode." He gestured in the general direction of the Lupins' house.

Remus, already headed in that direction, put up with Sirius' antics. "Well, my _dear_ pad-footed friend, I'll let you walk me home _if_ you promise not to use your 'padded-feet' to scare me again."

"Agreed!" cried Sirius in a theatrical voice, and the boys shook, grinning at each other.

They walked home, and from then on, Sirius was also known by the name Padfoot.

* * *

Remus was leaning on his front fence, staring off into the distance.

"Who are you thinking of?" asked a grinning Sirius, who the auburn haired boy had not noticed come up beside him. Startled out of his thoughts, he looked around wildly for a second before noticing Sirius leaning on the fence next to him.

"What? Nothing. I'm not thinking about anyone," he said a little too quickly.

"Yes you were! You were thinking – no – _mooning_ over someone. You were mooning!" he said triumphantly, as if coming up with the appropriate word was a big deal.

"Who's mooning?" asked James who had come out of Remus's house.

_Oh God,_ thought Remus.

Sirius grinned and pointed at him. "He was!" he cried. "Remus was mooooning over someone."

"No, I wasn't!" Remus said insistently as James made on 'ooooing' sound, normally heard from young girls. _God, I hadn't looked that pathetic had I? _he thought desperately. He had indeed been thinking about someone. He'd been thinking about – well – about Sirius- _but not in _that_ way_, he tried to persuade himself_. And I defiantly was not mooning. Remus Lupin does not moon. _

"Aww, come on, who was it?" James asked, while Sirius repeated, "Remus was mooning, Remus was mooning," in a sing-song voice.

He made the mistake of looking at Sirius, who grinned and winked at him, and caused him to blush. Thankfully, a second later Remus spied Lily coming down the street and called out to her.

"Lily! Come save me from this awful pair!" he cried dramatically.

James, on hearing the name of his beloved, automatically stopped pestering Remus, his hand shooting up to ruffle his already unruly hair.

Sirius had also stopped singing, but was still looking at Remus with a silly smile on his lips, as if he knew exactly who the auburn haired boy had been thinking about. The Gryffindor tried to ignore him.

As Lily came up, she frowned at James and Sirius. "Stop annoying Remus," she said.

"And hello to you too," said the ex-Durmstrang student.

Lily rolled her eyes. "Hello Sirius, Remus, - James."

James grinned widely. After the other night, the red head had begun to call him by his first name and it thrilled him to no end. "Hey, Lily," he said.

She turned to Remus. "So, we were supposed to go to 'Penelope and Amber's' remember?" she said.

"How could I forget?" he smiled. "Hang on, I'll just get my coat."

When he returned he saw that Sirius, Lily and James were talking amiably. Remus smiled to himself. He was glad that Lily had stopped being so hostile towards the black haired boy.

Ten minutes later they were seated at one of the small round tables of 'Penelope and Amber's Ice Cream Galore'. Lily was at the counter, ordering their ice-creams.

"Remus, I have decided to call you Moony," said Sirius suddenly.

"You have?" Remus asked slowly. He stole a look at James who was looking worriedly at him.

"Yup. I have a nickname so I though someone else should have one too. And because you were mooning before. And you look cute when you moon." Remus would have blushed at this last statement if he hadn't been preoccupied thinking of the irony of his new name.

"Well, it certainly fits," he said quietly. Sirius noticed an unidentifiable emotion cross over Remus's face and saw him glance at James who was looking extremely worried. Sirius frowned.

"Look, I'm sorry if you don't like it, I don't have to call you that if you don't want."

"No, no, it's fine really," said Remus, giving Sirius and James a reassuring smile.

At that moment, Lily returned, carrying a tray of ice-creams and soon the matter of Remus's new nickname was forgotten.

***

James was glad that he hadn't had to punch his new friend in the nose for choosing such a weirdly fitting name. Granted, Sirius had no idea about Remus's condition and the extreme irony of it all, but he still felt annoyed at him for making Remus upset. When Lily arrived with the little glass bowls full of delicious looking ice-cream, however, the matter was forgotten and they enjoyed the rest of the afternoon talking and laughing in the small bright ice-cream parlor.

Over the next few days, Remus's nickname stuck and the group picked up on calling both Sirius and Remus by their respective nicknames. James became convinced that he also deserved a nickname.

* * *

"So guys, I need a nickname too," said James, three days after the 'birth' of Remus' new name. He and his companions, Sirius and Remus, were sitting in a small coffee shop on the corner of the main street.

"I mean, since you two have one, it's only fair that I do too."

Sirius and Remus grinned at each other and rolled their eyes at the stubborn and child-like musings of their friend. Remus knew James wasn't being selfish; he just wanted to be included.

"Alright, mate, what do you want to be called?" asked Sirius.

"I don't know! We just have to come up with one."

"Well, Sirius and I got ours sort of spontaneously. I mean, we didn't plan it, they just came about. Maybe we should just wait for something like that to happen," said Remus reasonably.

Seeing the look of dejection on his friend's face, Sirius quickly put in, "but we could still think of some… if we think of something really good then you can have that."

James smiled. "Cool."

They sat in silence for a while, trying to come up with some names.

"Well… you play Quidditch, so how 'bout – 'Quaffly', or something… or, or, 'Snitchy'," ventured Remus.

Sirius snorted and James looked at him in horror.

"Well it's not like you two are coming up with anything!" Remus huffed.

At that moment a ruffled and extremely irritated-looking Lily stormed into the coffee shop.

"Remus! Where the hell have you been!?" she cried, coming up to their table.

"Um... right here," said Remus slowly, wary of the famous Evans temper. He was glad that it hadn't yet been unleashed in full force that summer.

Seeming not to hear his answer, she slammed a book on the table and cried "Look at this! _Look _at _this_!"

The book she was referring to didn't look in top shape. It appeared that someone had dumped a mug of coffee on it, then proceeded with a glass of orange juice, a jar of soy-sauce and finished with a bottle of coke-a-cola.

Remus grimaced.

Lily, still fiery eyed and fuming, pointed at it – quite unnecessarily.

"I found it in the library like that. I really needed it for my potions essay and now it's completely ruined and they don't have another copy!"

James looked at the book and then back up at Lily. "Chill Lils, it's only a book. Anyway, now you have a good excuse not to do that stupid essay," he said.

Remus, knowing Lily's temper, felt that that hadn't been the smartest move for James to make. Lily rounded on him.

"Shut up, Potter! And don't call me 'Lils'," she spat. Gathering the destroyed book into her arms she looked up again. "And can't you do something about your hair!? You look like you have bloody antlers," she all but yelled.

With that, Lily stormed out of the coffee shop, leaving many curious customers in her wake.

Sirius and Remus looked at each other and burst out laughing.

James glared at them. "What's so funny?"

"Well, you see mate, it's sort of true," said Sirius around his laughter.

As James self-consciously attempted to flatten his hair, Remus calmed down enough to say, "Don't worry about it, James. Lily doesn't really mean the things she says when she's angry."

"Yeah, well…" said the dejected looking boy.

Sirius suddenly made a sound of exclamation.

"That's it!"

"What's it?" asked Remus warily.

"James' name."

"Oh, yeah," said Remus, cottoning on. He thought a moment. "You know, deer have antlers."

Finally realizing they were talking about his possible nicknames, James said, "No way! Deer's are too… feminine."

Remus gave him a funny look but said, "Fine. Stags then."

They lapsed into contemplative silence.

"Hoofy!" Sirius exclaimed excitedly a few minutes later.

Remus and James looked at him as if he had grown an extra head.

"I'm sorry, _what?_" asked James in disbelief.

"Never mind," grumbled Sirius as Remus chuckled into his coffee.

"How about Zip?" asked the auburn haired boy five minutes later.

"Zip?"

"Well, stags run fast and you zoom around on your broomstick like a madman."

"I don't think Zip really fits," said Sirius, giving James an appraising look.

The three boys continued to talk, laugh and exclaim upon various possible nicknames for James before an hour and three cups of coffee later, they settled on Prongs.

* * *

**A/N:** So? Was it OK? Not too lame? I'm actually posting this as a mini birthday present to myself since I'm turning seventeen in about... 42 mintues :D Although, technically I don't get an actual birthday this year. Thanks, world! So, to any of you fellow leap year babies out there - HAPPY NON-BIRTHDAY! Have fun turning whatever and a quarter!

In other news, I forgot to mention last update that I have added a new oneshot to my collection! Any Harry/Draco fans out there who haven't taken a squiz, please do!

So, finishing up, please make my fourth and a quarter so much more special and leave a review! I thrive off of them :)


	11. Cowboys and Indians

**Disclaimer: **I am just a girl who gets kicks out of writing fanfiction. Nothing more!

**Author's Note: **When I first started writing this story, I told myself that I wouldn't post a chapter if I didn't have at least the one after it written. So far, I've stuck pretty true to my word, but that's about to change! I just feel so horrible for having left you all high and dry for the last couple of months and I couldn't bare it any longer. So here is chapter 11, and I hope it makes up for my lack of updates. I think it will, it's what you've been waiting for! Anyway, I don't know when chapter 12 will be up as it's currently stuck in production hell, but hopefully you won't have to wait for tooo long. *fingers crossed*. Until then, read on!

* * *

**Chapter Eleven: Cowboys and Indians**

Sirius was lost in thought as he walked along the relatively deserted Main Street. Dusk was falling and as he strolled along, hands in pockets, the black haired boy contemplated his ever growing feelings for Remus Lupin. It was not a usual occurrence for Sirius to examine his feelings like this. The only time he did so was when he was on one of his walks - alone and free to let his mind wander.

If he was honest with himself, he really liked Remus. Although thin and bearing multiple scars, the boy was attractive in his own right. His soft, wavy auburn hair fell around his face in a way that accented his features strikingly and Sirius had caught himself staring on more than one occasion. However it was not only the physical attraction that drew the black haired boy to Remus. There was just something about the boy that Sirius couldn't put his finger on - the way he carried himself, how he interacted with other people. Even though they had become great friends, there was a mystery to the auburn haired boy that he was still to figure out.

_Merlin__, I'm such a pouf,_ he thought wryly as his thoughts strayed to an image of a shirtless Remus drinking milk and his heart fluttered.

Sirius was nearing the library when he spotted the object of his musings in the distance. He stopped, watching as the auburn haired boy quickly jumped up the steps to the old building. As Remus disappeared inside the door, Sirius decided to follow him.

Unsure as to what he was actually going to say to Remus when he found him, he entered the library, nodding absently at Alice the librarian while scanning the large space for any sign of the boy he was following. There was hardly anyone in the library and Sirius realized it would probably be closing soon. He passed an old lady and a small wizarding family as he walked softly down the main body of the hall, looking into each aisle as he went.

Sirius was beginning to doubt that he had even seen the auburn haired boy when he reached the second last aisle. He stopped. Standing on tiptoe, arms raised high above his head was Remus, trying to reach a book above his head. His stretch had caused his shirt to ride up slightly, separating it from the waistband of his trousers and revealing a strip of pale torso. Sirius could see the curve of muscle of his stomach and a dusting of light brown hairs trailing down into the waistband of his pants. The black haired boy bit his lip.

Sirius stepped forward and reached up, pulling the book the Gryffindor had been stretching for away from its place on the shelf. Remus froze as the black haired boy put a steadying hand on his shoulder. Nearly as close as they'd been in Mrs. Wood's broom cupboard, Sirius could just feel the brush of his hips against Remus' waist; barely touching but enough to leave a crackle of electricity between them.

The auburn haired boy lowered his reaching arm, eyes dropping to the book in the black haired boys' hand and then darting back up to meet Sirius'. They stood centimetres apart, breathing the same air in silence before Remus glanced back down at the book.

"Thanks," he said quietly, taking _Vampires, Werewolves and Banshees_ from the boy's hands.

"No problem," said Sirius, just as softly.

"So, hi," said Remus after a few moments of silence. "I'm surprised to find you in the library - what with all the paper people and all," he said, smiling as he glanced at the many books around them. "Are you looking for a particular book?"

"Oh – um – actually –," Sirius was saved from responding as Alice entered their aisle.

"Hello boys! Sorry to usher you out like this, but we're closing now. It would be great if you found the books you wanted and checked them out as soon as you can."

"Oh, sure, Alice. I just wanted this one," said Remus and the three of them walked back to the reception desk.

"Did you want to get your book?" the auburn haired boy asked Sirius as Alice checked out his for him.

"It's OK, I can come back another time," said Sirius quickly, missing the librarian's knowing smile.

Remus shrugged. "OK."

They said goodbye to Alice and made their way outside. Sirius was surprised to see that the moon had already risen a fair way.

As they strolled in the direction of their homes, the dark haired boy looked up at the sky.

"You know, so many people say that the moon is beautiful and all that," he pondered as Remus glanced at him sharply.

The boys' steps slowed as Sirius gazed up at the silver orb contemplatively, completely oblivious to Remus' stare.

"But I honestly think it's just plain freaky. I mean, such a massive rock with nothing on it, just hanging there, mocking us. Everyone thinks it's so brilliant and mysterious, but I think it's… I don't know. Scary? Evil? All I know is that I don't trust it." He shrugged, glancing back at the auburn haired boy.

Remus was giving him such an intense look that Sirius' mouth went slightly dry.

After a moment, the auburn haired boy seemed to collect himself and they started walking again.

"I know what you mean," said Remus as they made it to their respective houses. "The moon can be pretty evil."

Sirius nodded and smiled at him from across an expanse of grass. "Glad I'm not the only one."

"Oh, you wouldn't be the only one," said Remus quietly. "Night, Padfoot."

"Night."

* * *

It was nearing evening on a rather chilly day and Remus sat at his desk finishing up his History of Magic studies. Becoming rather restless after hours of reading up on Goblin revolutions, the auburn haired boy glanced out at the darkening sky. In his peripheral vision, a light suddenly came on, attracting his eyes to a brightly lit room directly across from his window. Remus looked on as the door to the room opened and a shirtless boy walked inside. The Gryffindor blushed furiously as he realized Sirius was, once again, freshly out of the shower, and turned his head back to his textbook, trying to ignore the impulse to look up again. Soon however, impulse won and Remus glanced back out into the night.

Sirius was currently ruffling his wet hair with a towel, and although the window was not low enough to show below Sirius' stomach, Remus was rather positive that the towel had come from around the boy's waist.

Still blushing and unable to look away from the delicious sight, Remus sat at his desk staring out of his window, dismayed at his own actions.

Sirius continued to dry his hair, occasionally pausing to flick stray strands out of his eyes. Glancing out of his window, the black haired boy noticed a lamp on in the room opposite. Suddenly, his eyes registered the fact that someone was sitting at the desk in the room, staring at him.

Sirius flushed even before he realized the person was Remus. When he recognized the boy, his blush deepened. Their eyes locked, Remus' rounding slightly and Sirius quickly dropped his arms, tightly encircling the towel around his lower body.

_Oh God, I really hope Remus didn't see anything!_ he thought desperately.

Even if you like someone, it's rather a mortifying experience if you think they accidentally caught you naked.

After a few more seconds, Remus tore his eyes from Sirius', now a rather tomato-ish colour and buried himself in _A Goblin's Rise to Power_. In the mean time, Sirius grabbed his clothes and hurried out of the room.

* * *

A couple of hours later, Remus heard a soft tap-tapping on his window. Looking up, he saw that a paper aeroplane was bouncing persistently on the glass. He glanced across the few meters separating his house from the Tonks' and saw that Sirius was at his window, now fully dressed, levitating the piece of parchment with his wand.

Remus frowned, hoping that it wasn't an angry complaint about the needs of privacy. He honestly hadn't meant to stare so much! Opening his window, he grabbed the plane out of the air. Sirius smiled at him and sat back down at his desk.

Leaving the window, the auburn haired boy looked at the parchment in his hand. He sat down on his bed, glancing out quickly at the room opposite his window. Sirius appeared to be concentrating heavily on something in front of him.

Remus unfolded the plane. The note was short and to the point.

_Sleepover tomorrow night? My place.__ Andy, Ted and Dora are going out._

_Padfoot_

Remus he read that correctly? After staring at the parchment for a few moments, the auburn haired boy realized he wasn't hallucinating. His heart beating fast, a whirlwind of questions raced through his mind.

_A__ sleepover!? At Sirius'? With no adults home? Does he mean just the two of us? What will we do? _He'd never been to a sleepover with only one guy before. Especially not a guy that he fancied.

Remus flushed, thoughts invariably straying to things that one could do at a sleepover with a boy one fancied.

_What do I do!? _He was a wash of confusion. Taking a deep breath and telling himself to calm down, he decided to examine his predicament calmly and rationally. Should he accept? If he was honest with himself, he really _wanted_ to go. But he was nervous and had no idea of what to think of the proposition. He decided he needed help. Scribbling quickly on a piece of parchment he wrote a frantic message to Lily.

_Lily! I need your help. It's urgent! R._

Glancing out the window again to make sure Sirius was not looking in his direction, Remus slipped out of the room. Reaching the study, he tied his note to a tawny owl that was perched in a cage in the corner of the room. Releasing it into the night, he sighed.

Remus shook his head in self-despair. He was actually pathetic enough to secretly seek help from Lily about boy-trouble. _I am such an idiot._

It felt like an eternity before the owl returned bearing a return note.

_What's up?_

_Sirius invited me to a slee__pover! At his house! And Andy, Ted and Dora won't be there. Did you get an invite too? What do I say?_

_Remus, calm down. __No, I have not got an invite. Has James? I think that Sirius probably only wants you to come over. This is a _good _sign. Do you want to go?_

_Yes. But I don't know what he means by it! Is it as just friends or something else? God, I feel like an idiot. James went to bed early tonight so I don't know if he got one. I'm not sure._

_Re, you are not an idiot. Y__ou are just a little confused in regards to a certain boy. Say hello to your feelings. If you're not sure what his intentions are, then just go and act normally. Take it as it comes._

Remus knew that Lily was giving good advice. The only problem was that he still had butterflies in his stomach at the whole prospect. His eyes fell back to Lily's note.

_I'll come __over first thing tomorrow morning. For now, just tell him that you'll come. Get some rest - it won't be as bad after you've slept on it._

Remus returned to his room slowly, slipping in discreetly in case Sirius was looking. He moved over quickly to his desk, deciding he might as well bite the bullet and reply to the black haired boy's invite.

Reaching his desk, he noticed a small scrap of parchment lying in the middle of the table.

_You don't have to reply straight away._

Glancing up, he saw Sirius standing at his window. The black haired boy gave Remus a small smile before looking away, and if Remus hadn't known better, he would have sworn the boy looked _shy._

The Gryffindor sat back down at his desk, quickly writing a reply on the back of the scrap of parchment.

_No, it's OK. I'll come._

Before he could change his mind he tied it quickly to the leg of his owl and let her go through the open window, watching as she fluttered across the few meters to Sirius' waiting hands. Remus watched as the black haired boy let the owl go and unfolded the parchment. A brilliant smile spread over his lips and he glanced up at the auburn haired boy quickly.

_Thanks_, he mouthed. A few seconds later they turned away from their windows. Stifling a yawn, Remus made his way over to his bed. He turned off the light before changing quickly into his pyjama pants and slipping into bed. His stomach was still full of butterflies. He hoped that Lily was right and he'd feel more confident in the morning.

* * *

When Remus woke hours later it was to find that sleep had not, in fact, made him feel better. It seemed as if during the night, a whole new butterfly colony had set up residence in his stomach.

Rolling out of bed, he tried to dispel the nerves as he washed, dressed and went downstairs to get some breakfast.

Sitting on a kitchen stool Remus stared at his sandwich dejectedly. He really did _not_ feel like eating. The butterflies had not yet dissipated and he felt that he would be unable to keep anything down. He also knew, however, that he _had_ to eat, otherwise he would feel worse in the long run. Sighing, the auburn haired boy picked up one half of the sandwich and took a bite, chewing carefully. As he gulped down some water, he hoped that James wouldn't be upset about not being invited to the sleepover.

The black haired boy, as usual, was sleeping in, and Remus did not want to wake him. He knew what an irritable James Potter was like in the morning and he had no desire to deal with him in his current state.

So preoccupied was he with his thoughts and nerves, Remus nearly fell off his chair in fright when the doorbell rung suddenly.

Sliding off the kitchen stool and trying to calm his beating heart, he made his way to the front door.

"Morning," said Lily as the auburn haired boy pulled open the door.

"Hi," smiled Remus weakly.

"How are you feeling?"

"Not good."

The pair made their way into the kitchen where Remus downed the rest of his water and picked up his plate, depositing it next to the sink. Lily eyed the half eaten sandwich and gave him a look.

"Still nervous?" she asked sympathetically.

Her friend nodded, leaning back against the bench.

"OK, you have to tell me what happened. Start at the beginning. What did he say when he invited you over?"

Remus pointed at the table where Sirius' note lay, ready to be shown to Lily.

The red head picked the scrap up, eyes sliding over the invite. She looked up and smiled.

"Good, and then what did you do?" she asked.

"I wrote to you."

Lily smiled at her friend, trying not to show her amusement. The whole thing was so cute!

"Why don't we go sit outside and sort this out?" she said instead.

The two Gryffindors made their way back to the front door and onto the porch. Sheltered from the bright glare of the morning sun, they sat down in the cane chairs that occupied one end of the veranda.

"Where's James?" asked Lily nonchantly as she arranged a pillow behind her back to make herself more comfortable.

Remus raised an eyebrow at her, momentarily forgetting his nerves. "James is sleeping. He does that a lot."

"I'll bet," Lily said, rolling her eyes.

The auburn haired boy crossed his arms comfortably and chose to ignore his friend's last comment.

"OK," said the red head when Remus failed to respond. Tucking both legs underneath her, she twisted her body to face the werewolf's chair. "Spill."

During the next twenty minutes, Remus told her all that had transpired the previous evening and his worries about the coming one. Lily listened patiently, giving advice and calming the boy when it seemed his nerves would swallow him. The fact that Remus _was _this nervous was a clear sign to the red head that he had strong feelings for Sirius, and she smiled to herself, glad that he was letting himself feel again.

It seemed that Remus' confession was what had been needed to still some of his nerves. The auburn haired boy felt calmer after his talk with Lily, although butterflies still happened to flutter when his thoughts wandered to Sirius unexpectedly.

Just as the pair began discussing how Remus should act that evening, the front door banged open startlingly.

"Oh, there you are! I've been looking all over for you!" James said as he pulled the door closed behind him. "Why are you –" the black haired boy stopped short as he noticed Remus' companion.

Remus looked at the blinking James and then turned to Lily, wondering what had made his friend stare so. Lily, in a simple deep purple shift dress, had her legs propped up on the small coffee table in front of her, and was leaning forward, resting her arms on her bent legs. Her red hair flowed down around her face, some taken up and held by a jeweled butterfly clip. The auburn haired boy had to admit that his friend looked especially beautiful in the morning light. It was obvious why James had fallen for her.

Turning back to the staring boy, Remus raised an eyebrow at him and cleared his throat. The sound seemed to startle James out of his unresponsiveness, a hand shooting up to ruffle his already ruffled hair.

"Morning, James," said Remus.

"Morning," James smiled rather sheepishly.

The black haired boy's eyes travelled back to Lily again.

"You look very nice," he told her, almost embarrassedly.

A hint of a blush spread across the red head's cheeks as she looked down modestly.

"Thanks," she said quietly.

Slightly unsettled by his friends' shy behaviour and before things could get too mushy, Remus cleared his throat again and told James to take a seat.

The black haired boy sat down in a cane chair opposite Remus and propped his feet up on the coffee table.

"So, what's up?" he asked.

Lily grinned, shooting an amused glance at Remus. "Sirius asked Remus over for a sleepover tonight," she said.

James blinked at her before rounding on the auburn haired boy. "He did!? What? When?"

Remus shot Lily a pained look and stood up. "I'm going to go get some pumpkin juice," he told them and made his way to the front door.

"Coward!" cried James after him, voice laced with amusement.

When the door had banged shut, the black haired boy turned to Lily. "What's going on?"

The red head almost giggled before telling him all about the events of the past twelve hours.

James grinned at her when she finished. "This is brilliant!" he said and Lily smiled back.

"I know, but Remus is still really nervous. He doesn't know how he's supposed to act."

The boy in question had still not returned with the drinks.

A shout interrupted James' reply and the pair turned to look over to its source.

Sirius was standing at the low fence that divided the Lupin's front yard from the Tonks'. He waved at them. Lily and James glanced at each other quickly before jumping up and leaving the shade of the porch. The red head reached Sirius first, shooting him a sly grin.

"Got much planned for tonight then, Sirius?"

The black haired boy eyed her. "Yeah, I do. What about it?"

"Well, I just hope you have fun," she said, grinning.

Sirius glanced at James quickly who lightly punched him on the arm in a 'good one!' sort of gesture.

"He told you?"

"I know everything," she said slyly, tapping her nose.

The ex-Durmstrang student glanced at the Lupin's house quickly.

"He doesn't want to come, does he?" Sirius asked, almost dejectedly.

Lily picked up on his mood at once. "Of course he wants to!"

"But – I get the feeling…"

"He's just a little nerv- "

"Listen, Sirius," Lily cut off James quickly. She paused. "I was just wondering – what do you mean by this?"

"What?"

"You know – inviting him over and everything –" Lily stopped as she noticed a faint blush rise to the boy's cheeks as he glanced away from her. She had wanted to find out whether she wasn't, in fact, reading the signs wrong and had received the perfect answer. His blush was all she needed.

* * *

Remus decided he'd been hiding in the kitchen for long enough. He hadn't wanted to go through the whole embarrassing story again and Lily would have explained everything to James already. Grabbing the three glasses of pumpkin juice, the auburn haired boy made his way back to the porch.

Opening the front door turned out to be a little tricky, but he managed not to spill any of the juice as he made his way outside. Ready for the amused exclamations that were sure to come from James, Remus was surprised to see his two friends missing. Eyes roving across the surrounding area he froze when he noticed Lily and James down next to the fence talking to a certain black haired boy. His sudden halt caused the juice in his hands to slop around dangerously and it was a miracle that it hadn't spilled all down his front. Remus paid it no mind. He stood riveted to the spot, yet unnoticed by the other three, his heart beating madly and the butterflies dancing in delight amongst his innards. It was all well and good speaking about everything with Lily, but quite another to see the object of his nerves in broad daylight.

Remus took a deep breath, refusing to allow himself to become a nervous wreck. Silently, he cursed his irrational feelings as he stood staring at the black haired boy. At that moment, Sirius glanced up and their eyes met, a startling intensity passing between them. The auburn haired boy forced his feet to move forward and placed the three glasses unsteadily on the small table. He had been seen, there was no point ignoring the fact that he should go down there.

As he walked down the steps and crossed the lawn, Remus pretended that he was not at all nervous. He was cool, calm and collected and no disarming grin could make him surrender to anything.

"Morning," he greeted Sirius as he walked up to his three friends. He shot Lily a quick look who gazed back at him innocently.

"Hey," said the ex-Durmstrang student.

A moment of silence followed before Sirius seemed to take a deep breath and asked quickly, "So are we still on for tonight?"

A wave of fresh nervousness washed over Remus but he managed to choke out an affirmative answer. So much for cool, calm and collected.

Sirius frowned. He sensed Remus' nerves and although it appeared he wanted to come, he didn't want to make the boy uncomfortable. So Sirius seized on the first idea that came to him.

"Hey, do you guys want to come?" he asked, turning to James and Lily.

The red head suppressed the urge to knock Sirius and Remus on the head. Why couldn't they just get on with it instead of dancing around each other nervously!? Instead, she turned to Sirius apologetically.

"Sorry, I can't. Mum's making me help her clean the house tonight," she invented quickly. As Sirius turned to James she shot the boy a death glare.

"Um – yeah – I can't – I'm busy too," the black haired boy stammered.

Lily tried not to roll her eyes in exasperation just as Remus seized onto James' decline in relief.

"Oh, come on James! I know you're not doing anything tonight."

"I – I," James began feebly before being cut off by Sirius.

"Great! You guys can come over at around seven thirty then. I better get going – Ted wanted me to help him with something before they leave tonight. See you!" he shot Remus a grin before leaving the three standing near the fence in the sun. They slowly made their way back up to the cane chairs on the porch.

"James, you idiot!" cried Lily when they had finally seated themselves.

"Hey! I tried to get out of it but they made me accept!"

Lily turned her annoyed glare onto Remus. "Don't you want anything to happen!?" she asked him in exasperation. The auburn haired boy didn't answer.

The red head sighed and looked at her watch. "Look, I have to go now too," she said, standing. "You guys have fun tonight."

"Thanks Lily," said Remus, not only thanking her for her well wishes. She seemed to understand.

"You have to tell me everything tomorrow!" she cried as she made her way back down the garden path.

* * *

Remus and James stood on the Tonks' front door step a few hours later, their sleepover supplies ready in hand. The auburn haired boy felt remarkably better now that he was not standing here alone. He knew it would be great to have Sirius on his own, but somehow he felt that his nerves were not ready for that yet.

Sirius let them in a few seconds later, grinning.

"Andy, Ted and Dora have already gone so we've got free reign on the house," he said as James and Remus followed him into the front room.

"Cool," said James, dropping his things by the door.

Remus lowered his bag down next to his friend's and followed the two dark haired boys into the kitchen.

"Guess what? I found Ted's secret stash of firewhiskey," said Sirius joyfully, holding up a half filled bottle of amber liquid.

Remus raised an eyebrow at the black haired boy, his twitching lips betraying his amusement. Meanwhile, James had entered the kitchen pantry.

"Hey!" he said excitedly. "Let's make this!" he came out holding up a bag in front of him.

On closer inspection, Remus realised it was a packet of popcorn. Actually, a packet of the corn kernels used to make popcorn.

"Are you sure we want to attempt to make that?" he asked warily. He knew from personal experience that popcorn could be _very_ dangerous.

James nodded his head excitedly. "Yeah! I've never had it and Edward at school says it's the best thing ever."

Sirius laughed at his friend's enthusiasm. "Alright then, let's make it."

"Count me out," said Remus as his friends went about the kitchen confidently. "I want to keep my eyebrows."

"Andy said that there's some old Cowboys and Indians movie on TV tonight, so we can watch that later," said Sirius whilst pouring some oil.

"Great," said Remus as he watched James pour a cup of kernels into the pot. He smiled as his friend jumped, startled by the immediate reaction of the small balls to the heated oil. "Put the lid on," he told them, deciding to stay well back.

As he watched his friends become increasingly excited about the popping noises they heard, Remus leaned back on the dining table. He'd almost forgotten that that morning he had been a nervous wreck. He couldn't believe he'd been so hung up about coming here tonight. Nothing seemed awkward at all. It was just natural and friendly. He was just in the middle of chastising himself when a peculiar burning smell pulled him out of his thoughts.

"Um, guys?"

"Yeah?"

"Turn the stove off!" he cried as the lid exploded off of the pot and an avalanche of blackened kernels came cascading down onto the floor.

"Whoops," said Sirius sheepishly.

"Is popcorn meant to be black?" asked James curiously.

Remus sighed and poured himself a glass of firewhiskey.

* * *

Two bowls of slightly burnt popcorn and three shots of fire whiskey later, Remus lay on the couch with slightly glassy eyes, watching the black and white movie on the television. It had taken the boys a long time to prepare the popcorn due to the fact that they had kept on charring it. Four batches later they had actually succeeded in making edible food.

Remus and Sirius shared the large couch, one boy on each end, and Remus had slid down so that he was lying curled slightly, his head resting on the soft arm rest. James had fallen asleep some thirty minutes earlier and his soft laboured breathing could be heard in between the fighting on screen.

As he watched the cowboys and Indians fight over land and whatever else, Remus felt the curious sensation of eyes on him. He glanced down at James who was sprawled on the floor but the boy was still sleeping, the odd snort emerging from between parted lips. His heart beating slightly faster, Remus glanced to the other end of the couch he lay on. Sirius was lying in almost the exact same position as him, only opposite, his head resting gently on his arm, and his eyes trailing over the auburn haired boy's face. Their eyes met, golden brown and silvery grey, and locked together over the expanse of the cream coloured couch. Remus' heart thumped, his breathing grew shallower and he could feel heat spreading up the back of his neck as they stared at one another.

The guards were down, they could look at each other without embarrassment, could let their eyes convey what they really felt. And as they lay there, facing each other, their eyes continued to rove across each other's faces, each other's bodies, just indulging in the ability to _look_. The movie carried on without their notice, neither paying the slightest attention to the battle cries or the gun fire. And then suddenly Sirius moved, Remus' breath hitching as he watched the black haired boy push himself up, uncurl his legs from underneath him and move until he was on all fours, still facing the auburn haired boy.

Remus lay, unable to move as Sirius slowly crawled over his half of the large couch and onto the Gryffindor's side. He continued, slowly and deliberately, his eyes always locked onto Remus', crawling until he reached the boy's bent legs. Here his own legs stopped and he stretched out and continued with his arms until they were on either side of the auburn haired boy's shoulders, positioned as if he were about to do a push up right above Remus' body. They did not touch, only Sirius' shirt tickled the Gryffindor's bare skin where his t-shirt had ridden up slightly.

The black haired boy held himself above Remus and the boys stared at each other, the auburn haired boy's heart racing wildly, Sirius' breathing fast and irregular. And then at the same moment, Remus arched up and Sirius lowered his head and their lips met with crushing force, moulding together in haste, desire, and need. Remus lifted his hand and cupped the back of Sirius' head, bringing them closer and deepening their kiss. Their lips moved over each other fiercely, teeth clashing and tongues slipping and dancing together.

Finally, the need for oxygen became too great and they separated, gasping for air. Their passionate, yet completely silent kiss was replaced by laboured breathing and whispers of names. The cowboys and Indians raged on, oblivious that no one was watching their performance. Sirius and Remus' mouths found each other again, less fiercely yet no less passionately. The black haired boy slowly let go of his push-up position, his hands finding Remus's hair and running through it, his other hand cupping the boy's jaw. Their mouths continued to battle as their bodies lay aligned, Sirius' now directly on top of the auburn haired boy's and they melded together. Remus pushed up and Sirius sank low as they raked their hands through each other's hair. Their lips parted once more, gasping for breath.

"Sirius," whispered Remus as the black haired boy ran his tongue over the Gryffindor's red lips. Remus buried his head into Sirius' neck, kissing a trail up the exposed skin, over his jaw and finally to the hungry mouth that nipped at his bottom lip and made him moan.

They could feel the other's arousal, moulded as they were on the couch and Remus arched his neck again as Sirius moved unexpectedly, grazing their bodies and leaving them breathless.

They continued for some minutes, almost completely silent before drawing apart, as if they had made an unspoken decision. Their breathing subsided as Sirius resumed his place opposite Remus on the couch. They lay, in their original positions and watched each other again, Sirius grinning madly and Remus wearing a smile full of bliss. A gurgle brought their attention to the boy on the floor, and they both glanced quickly at James, almost as if they had forgotten he was there. They exchanged smiles again as the sleeping Gryffindor shifted, accidentally rolling over and turning off the TV.

The cowboys and Indians disappeared mid gallop and the room was plunged into darkness. The two boys continued to lie on the couch, their erratic breathing subsiding every passing minute. Through the inky blackness, Remus felt Sirius move and seconds later he felt a blanket covering his lower body. He stretched out and felt the bump of another pair of stretching legs. The two boys settled down, letting their feet tangle discreetly beneath the blanket. Remus smiled joyfully into the night.

"Night, Moony," whispered Sirius.

"Night, Pads."

* * *

**A/N:** HUZZAH! SO, was it what you wanted? Expected? Awesome? Completely horrible? Reviews are, as always, love!


	12. Denial

**Disclaimer: **I own nothing more than the voices inside my head. It is for their benefit that I write this :)

**Author's Note: **Yay! Chapter 12 is officially out of production hell! The original of this was _so different_ to what you're about to read but this version is much better. A MASSIVE thank you to my beta _**amberbelle**_ who read the first draft and was brave enough to say "This is really bad, you should re-work it" (but not in those exact words, of course :P). Anyway, I really hope you enjoy! Read on!

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**Chapter Twelve: Denial**

Sirius woke with a jolt early the next morning, momentarily disoriented. Upon remembering why he was sleeping on the white couch in the living room, the black haired boy glanced across to the other side of the sofa. Remus was not there.

A sound of tinkling glass alerted Sirius to the presence of someone in the kitchen. Leaving the still sleeping James on the floor, the ex-Durmstrang student got up and made his way in the direction of the noise, the yellow blanket that had been covering him falling to the ground in a graceful heap.

Remus was at the kitchen sink, filling a glass with water from the tap. The cool liquid slid down his parched throat refreshingly and the auburn haired boy sighed in contentment as he placed the empty glass down on the bench. The Gryffindor jumped slightly as an arm suddenly encircled his waist from behind.

"Morning," a soft voice whispered into his ear, warm breath tickling his neck.

Remus melted into Sirius' embrace, as the black haired boy tightened his arm around the teenager's waist. Feeling Sirius resting his chin on his shoulder, Remus tilted his head back until it was touching the black haired boy's forehead.

"Morning."

The two stood there a moment, basking in the warm glow from the kitchen window and each other's presence, before Remus turned around gently. Sirius kept his arm around the boy's waist as they faced each other, faces only centimeters apart. Slowly, Remus leaned in until his lips brushed against Sirius' softly. The black haired boy opened his mouth slightly, a sigh escaping his lips. They drew apart before Remus kissed him again, a little more forcefully than before and Sirius' eyes fluttered closed briefly. As the auburn haired boy pulled away Sirius followed him and their mouths met again quickly, almost greedily now. As Remus sighed against his mouth, Sirius pushed closer, his tongue sliding against Remus' own, feeling, exploring.

Finally, they drew apart and Sirius lent forward so that their foreheads were touching.

They stood there for a few more minutes before Remus slowly took Sirius' hand in his and pulled him towards the living room.

"Come on, let's get some more sleep before James wakes up. It is much too early to be awake." Sirius let himself be pulled back to the couch and was somewhat surprised when Remus pushed him over the arm rest and down onto the soft cushions. He fell with a silent 'oof' and watched as Remus stood over him for a moment before the auburn haired boy crawled over him. A grin played on the Gryffindor's lips as he straddled Sirius and bent so that their mouths met. They kissed hungrily, lips slipping against each other before Remus gently pulled away again to settle on the opposite side of the couch. Their feet tangled and Sirius pulled the yellow blanket off of the floor to cover them up. The two boys fell asleep minutes later.

All three teenagers woke at much the same time a few hours later. After a lazy breakfast they retreated to the front room where James found an old game of Monopoly while foraging through a shelf under the television.

"What's this?" asked the black haired boy, excitedly shuffling through the paper money, and small plastic houses and mansions.

Remus tried to explain as much as he could to both boys what the game was and how it worked.

"Brilliant!" exclaimed James, sitting down and beginning to set up the board confidently. Remus and Sirius exchanged a glance before joining him on the floor.

"What are these little statues for?" asked Sirius, curiously examining each one in turn. "They're so small!"

"They're the counters you use to move around the board. I'll have the hat," said Remus, plucking it out of Sirius' fingers cheekily. The black haired boy stuck out his tongue at him before turning his attention back on the figurines. "I want the dog!" he suddenly said, spotting the canine figure.

James selected the silver car and they were soon in the middle of a very boisterous round, Remus explaining the odd rule along the way.

"You owe me one thousand, three hundred and fifty eight dollars, thank you," said Sirius half an hour later, holding his hand out expectantly to James.

The Gryffindor looked at his steadily depleting store of money bleakly.

"I don't think I have enough."

"You can always mortgage!" Remus, who was playing bank, said excitedly. The other two groaned.

"Not mortgage!" they cried.

Nevertheless, James, who would refuse to declare bankruptcy, put eight properties up for mortgage and handed Sirius his rent with a scowl.

"You know, they should make Wizarding Monopoly," said James after another half hour.

"Yes!" said Remus. "With Diagon Alley instead of Mayfair."

"And Knockturn Alley where Old Kent Road goes," added Sirius.

"What about the main street of Hogsmede? Where would that go?" asked James.

The three teenagers soon forgot about their own game of Monopoly in favour of discussing the placement of famous Wizarding streets on their version of the game.

"We totally have to make this, you know," said Sirius, eyes bright with excitement.

"It'll be a hit at Hogwarts," said Remus with a laugh. "We could transfigure an old board to show the wizarding streets."

"And we can charm the figurines to move themselves," added James, grinning.

"It's a plan."

For the rest of the hour, the three boys debated about the finer details of the magical version, and when Remus and James finally left for next door, a rough sketch of the board had been drawn and annotated.

* * *

Lily came over shortly after Remus and James returned home.

"How was it!?" she nearly shouted in enthusiasm as she deposited her bag onto the kitchen counter.

Remus leaned back on the bench. "Good."

The red head watched him with searching eyes. "Just good?"

Remus shrugged nonchalantly, a small smile tugging at his lips. "Well. More like brilliant, really."

A delighted cry rang through the air, and the next thing he knew, Remus was being enveloped by a very happy Lily Evans. Blowing her red hair out of his mouth, the werewolf hugged his friend back tightly.

Pulling away, Lily grinned at him. "I _knew_ it!" she cried triumphantly.

"I thought I heard a disturbance down here," James said as he entered the kitchen. "What did you know?" he asked Lily, grabbing an apple and biting into it with enthusiasm.

The red head glanced at Remus who was staring resolutely at the fridge. She grinned. "Oh, you know, that Sirius and Remus would get together at the sleepover."

The black haired boy choked on his apple and Remus dutifully thumped him on the back.

"What!? When did that happen?" cried James after the piece of fruit dislodged itself from inside his throat.

Remus smiled almost apologetically at him. "You were sleeping."

The Gryffindor stared at him. "You were sleeping," he mouthed the words as if processing a particularly difficult piece of information. "What if I'd _woken up!_?" he cried suddenly to no one in particular. "I would have seen you guys…" James trailed off, sticking his tongue out in the universal facial expression of 'eww!'

Lily swatted him on the arm. "Oh, stop it. You didn't see anything, so there's no harm done." She turned back to Remus, almost eagerly. "So? How was it?"

"Stop!" interrupted James. "Stop right there! I must escape before you begin to defile my precious ears with your juicy detail," he said before walking out of the kitchen with his fingers stuck firmly in his ears.

Lily rolled her eyes before raising an eyebrow at Remus. Her friend gave her an apprehensive look. "What?"

The red head raised her other eyebrow. "Answer the question. How was it?"

Remus looked down at what appeared to him to be the most interesting floor in the world.

"It was nice," he mumbled into the collar of his shirt.

Lily smiled. "Well that's good to know. I was scared he'd turn out to be a horrible kisser," she said with a laugh.

"Oh, he was far from horrible," said Remus before he could help himself. Lily grinned and the werewolf blushed crimson.

Ignoring her friend's embarrassment, the red head said, "You have to tell me more than that. How did it happen?" she continued to question him.

Remus decided to stare at the floor some more. "We were on the couch."

Lily prodded him on the arm when the werewolf didn't continue.

"Andthenhecrawledovermeandwestartedkissing," he finished in a rush.

Lily took a few moments to unscramble this piece of information before breaking out into another grin, and giggling in a very un-Lily-like manner.

"Brilliant!" she cried, as Remus looked up, a small smile playing across his face.

"Quite."

Seeing his friend open her mouth to begin another torrent of questions, Remus decided to take necessary action.

"You're getting nothing else out of me!" he cried, fleeing the kitchen. "A man must have some secrets!"

"You're no man!" called Lily teasingly, and chased the werewolf out of the room.

* * *

Sirius woke to dazzling sunlight streaming through his bedroom window. A full day had passed since the sleepover and the ex-Durmstrang student had spent it lazing about the house with a content smile upon his face. He'd heard Andy, Ted and Nymphadora return home late the previous evening but he'd been almost asleep when they arrived and had not got up to greet them.

As he pulled on a jumper, Sirius glanced through his window to the house next door. Remus' blinds were open but the black haired boy could not see anyone moving around inside. As he gazed into the empty room, he felt a happy bubble expand somewhere inside him. Even though he'd only known Remus for a few weeks, he knew that the boy did not open up easily to everyone. The fact that he'd not only opened up, but felt something more than just friendship for Sirius, astounded and humbled the black haired teenager.

Sirius made his way downstairs for breakfast, a little groggy but smiling. When he entered the kitchen, Andy looked up in surprise.

"Someone's in a good mood today," she said as she buttered Dora a piece of toast.

The black haired boy hummed in agreement, pouring himself some apple juice. "How was your trip?" he asked.

"Oh, it was good. Bit of a hassle trying to persuade Dora to keep her appearance the same way for the whole time, though."

"I thought Ted's parents knew about the whole magic thing," said Sirius, puzzled.

"They do, only they had an aunt visiting from Cardiff who doesn't know a thing, so we had to keep tightlipped." She smiled at the memory of elderly Mrs. Jones. "So, what did you and your friends get up to? Oh, and thanks for not setting the house on fire," she added as an afterthought, winking.

_Nearly did_, thought Sirius amusedly as he remembered their attempts at making popcorn. "We ended up watching that Cowboys and Indians film," he answered. The black haired boy smiled suddenly as he recalled how much fun he'd had _not_ watching the movie.

Andy caught the grin and smiled. "I spoke to Wendy this morning in the bakery," she told her cousin, discreetly watching him for his reaction. She silently cheered when Sirius looked up eagerly.

"Remus' mum?"

Andy nodded. "She said that Remus said he had a great time the other night."

Realizing he was beaming a little more than was necessary, the black haired boy said casually, "That's great."

Andy smiled at him before disappearing inside the pantry. A few moments later she returned, holding a jar of apple puree. "Remus is quite a nice boy, isn't he?" she asked nonchalantly whilst unscrewing the lid. "Quiet at times, but very nice." She looked over at her cousin to see that he was watching her a little warily.

"Yes, he is nice," said Sirius cautiously.

Silence followed while they looked at each other – Andy with a subtle smirk on her face, and Sirius with the sinking suspicion that his cousin knew more than she was supposed to. _She can't possibly know about me and Remus_, he thought to himself desperately. _She can't_ - Andy winked and Sirius choked on his apple juice.

"Um – yes – well – I need to – shower –" he spluttered before leaving the room as quickly as possible, cheeks turning red.

Andy chuckled as she spooned some apple puree over her bowl of porridge.

* * *

The next couple of days passed uneventfully. Sirius tried his hardest to avoid any talk about Remus with or in front of Andy. Although he was comfortable in his own skin, he had to admit that Andy knowing about him and Remus was a little… _mortifyingly embarrassing_. He hoped that she wouldn't get any ideas and run off to gossip with Remus' mum. Now, _that_ would completely turn Remus off – a consequence too horrific to contemplate.

At that moment, Sirius was sitting on his bed, staring at the floor and swinging his legs. He was bored and restless, a combination that did not sit well on the ex-Durmstrang student. As his mind strove to think of something to do, a thought suddenly popped into his head, making him grin.

Over the last couple of days, Remus had been complaining about coming down with a cold. That afternoon, he had been too sick to go out to Penelope and Amber's so he, James and Sirius had hung out in the auburn haired boy's room, continuing their game of Monopoly. Remus really hadn't been looking too good, and now Sirius, in a stroke of brilliance, decided to make him a Get Well card.

Filled with purpose, the black haired boy stood up and went over to his desk, pulling out a clean sheaf of parchment, a quill and a pot of ink. He folded the parchment in half and unscrewed the lid of the small bottle. Grinning, he dipped in his quill before pausing to think of what to write. As he reached to dunk the nozzle again, his arm accidentally knocked over the pot, and he watched in horror as black ink oozed across the table and onto the folded piece of parchment. Sirius glared at the offending liquid as it shimmered obnoxiously up at him. While he frowned down at the ink for having ruined his terrific card making, the ex-Durmstrang student realized with a smile that the stain on the parchment had turned out to resemble a dog's paw print. His plan not yet thwarted, Sirius dipped his quill into the remaining ink and wrote on the inside of the card:

_Moony,_

_My inner dog wishes you better,_

_Pads_

Signing the short message, Sirius laughed suddenly as he noticed the link between the paw print and his nickname. _I'm just too brilliant_, he thought to himself, momentarily forgetting that the ink stain had been an accident and not a stroke of brilliance on his part.

The black haired boy mopped up the spilt ink while waiting for the card to dry. When there was no danger of the card smudging, Sirius quickly grabbed a jumper and made his way downstairs.

On his way out, he detoured slightly and popped his head into the kitchen where Ted was busily icing a massive batch of cookies and at the same time, keeping a persistent Nymphadora away from the sugary sweets. Andy was sitting at the dining table, absently scanning the evening edition of _The Prophet_.

"I'm just heading next door," Sirius told them.

His cousin nodded distractedly and murmured, "Sure," without looking up.

Sirius made his way into the dark street, walking briskly the few meters to the Lupins' fence. He strode confidently to the front door and knocked three times, stepping back to wait. The black haired boy was about to knock again when the door opened. When James saw Sirius standing on the step, a spark of panic flashed through his eyes before he gave the boy a slightly forced grin.

"Hey, mate," James said, not making any move to welcome in the guest.

"Hey Prongs. I made Remus a card," he said grinning and waving said card in the air.

"That's great. I'll give it to him," said James, holding out his hand.

Instead of giving him the card however, Sirius sidestepped his friend and entered the house. He frowned. "Can't I give it to him myself? He can't be that sick, surely?" the black haired boy asked, making his way to the living room.

James paused. "He's – he's not doing too great at the moment, actually."

A feeling of dread whooshed through Sirius. "What? What's wrong? I have to see him, then. Make him feel better," he said, waving his card feebly.

"He's not really up to seeing anyone."

Sirius turned and headed for the stairs, stopping when James jumped in front of him. "I'm serious, Pads."

Sirius frowned and tried to push past him. When he met a wall of resistance, he frowned again and stepped back. "Come on, James. What's going on? What's with the whole protective bodyguard act?"

The Gryffindor didn't answer. When Sirius tried to push past him once more, James pushed him back. "He's not up there."

"Where is he, then?"

Rather belatedly, James realised he shouldn't have said anything. Cursing himself and his stupidity, the black haired boy remained silent.

"Where is he, James?" asked Sirius, sparks of panic flitting through his stomach.

James looked at him almost sadly, before looking at the floor.

"He's just not here. He can't see you."

"James, what's going on?" Sirius was surprised at how level his voice sounded.

A noise from the kitchen caught their attention. A moment later Wendy had come through the door to the living room.

"James, I need your –" she stopped as she saw Sirius standing near the couch.

"Sirius," she greeted, glancing at James before turning back to her neighbour.

"Mrs. Lupin."

Wendy glanced at James again. "If you're here to see Remus, I'm afraid that you can't. He's a bit unwell at the moment."

"Yes, James was just telling me. I hope that he's OK."

The auburn haired woman nodded. "He'll be fine."

An awkward silence descended before another noise from the direction of the kitchen made Wendy frown worriedly.

"I'd better –" she paused. "I'd better leave you two, then." Mrs. Lupin gave James a last meaningful glance before leaving the room hurriedly.

A few moments silence passed again before James cleared his throat. Before he could say anything however, Sirius interrupted him.

"Look, James, you have to tell me what's going on."

"I don't," said the Gryffindor almost desperately. "It's not our business."

Sirius, frustrated at the vague answers and skirting around of questions, had had enough. "For Merlin's sake, Potter!" he all but roared. "If there's something wrong with Remus, then it is our bloody business. Where is he? What the fuck is wrong?" Another wild feeling of panic stabbed through him.

A pained expression passed over James' face. "I can't…" he whispered, staring at the floor. He shook his head when Sirius stepped nearer.

"James…" the ex-Durmstrang student warned.

The black haired boy almost looked as if he were about to start crying. He looked pleadingly at Sirius. "Please, just –"

"Tell me," growled Sirius stepping closer.

A silence, heavy with tension, filled the air. "It's – it's the full moon," James whispered finally.

As the words sunk in, a feeling of horror trickled down the black haired boy's neck. The world seemed to close in on him, his vision tunneling in until all he could see were James' lips mouthing _full moon, full moon_…

Sirius stared at his friend, unseeing, as the blood rushed in his ears. He couldn't believe it. Remus was a – he was a –

The bright walls of the living room seemed to close in on him, suffocating the black haired boy as he stood rooted to the spot.

Dimly, he registered James speaking.

"… he's still the same person, mate. Nothing's changed."

As if surfacing from underwater, Sirius' hearing suddenly came into sharper focus and his sight cleared. He took in the black haired boy standing in front of him.

"He's a… _werewolf_," said Sirius in horror. It wasn't a question.

"It doesn't mean anything!" cried James. "He's still Remus. There's nothing wrong with him."

Sirius stared at his friend.

"Nothing wrong with him?" he echoed. "He's a werewolf, James!"

The Gryffindor remained quiet. Horror churned in Sirius' stomach. He couldn't believe it. Remus couldn't be a werewolf. The kind, gentle boy couldn't turn into a terrible monster every month. He couldn't be a filthy half-breed – not Remus. But he was, Sirius now saw. Everything seemed to fall into place. The silver, the monthly 'colds', the scars…

Suddenly, Sirius couldn't stand the bright light shining on him; couldn't stand the flowery patterned couches, the soft cream carpet, the photo frames on the walls. James didn't stop him when he fled from the room.

The cold night air hit Sirius hard when he slammed the front door behind him. He ran down the front steps, desperate to get away from the house. It was only when he was half way down the path when he registered a figure rushing out of their own garden and towards him.

* * *

"Oh, God. No!" Andy dropped the newspaper she was holding and it fluttered to the kitchen floor. Her hand covered her mouth as she gave her husband a stricken look.

"He's gone next door," she whispered.

Ted, who was helping Nymphadora lick out the icing bowl, gave Andy a confused look. "Sirius?"

She nodded and stared at her husband with wide, horrified eyes. "It's the full moon."

Ted's face turned pale as her words sunk in.

"I have to go over there," said Andy, ignoring the paper on the floor and hurrying to the door. Ted nodded as she passed.

Andy didn't bother putting on a coat as she rushed outside. Her stomach filled with dread as she heard a door slam, and her heart turned to ice as she saw her cousin running from the house.

"Sirius," she called when he didn't seem to see her.

The black haired boy stopped just a few meters away.

They stared at each other a moment before he whispered hoarsely, "Did you know?"

"Yes."

Pain flickered over Sirius' features. "And you didn't tell me?"

The two stood outside their garden gate, buffeted slightly by the brisk wind. "What would there have been to say?"

Sirius stared at her. "How can you not care that he's a werewolf?!" he cried in horror. "They kill people; maul little kids. They're monsters!"

A great sadness filled Andy as she looked at her cousin. "Sirius, he's not a monster."

When he didn't reply she took him by the arm and led him back to their house. His body was unresisting as she pulled him to her and Ted's bedroom and closed the door.

"Sit," she ordered, pointing at the bed.

"What are we doing here, Andromeda?" asked Sirius, stubbornly remaining standing.

"We're going to sort this out, is what we're doing here."

Sirius glared at the ground. He hadn't needed her answer to figure out why she'd pulled him into the bedroom. But he didn't want to talk about Remus anymore. He just wanted to go upstairs and go to bed – forget about everything. He knew though, seeing Andy's face, that she would force him to confront the situation. It was best to do it now, when things were still fresh and raw.

His cousin got straight to the point. "Tell me honestly, Sirius. What are you thinking? What's going through your mind?"

The black haired boy stared at the floor. He didn't want to talk.

With a jolt he realized he was still holding Remus' Get Well card. He looked at the paw print and then slowly crumpled up the parchment in his fist.

Andy sighed quietly. "We're Blacks, Sirius. We grew up surrounded by hate and prejudice. Your instinct is telling you he's a monster, but he's –"

Sirius looked up angrily, cutting her off. "They are though! They –" he trailed off suddenly. An image of the quiet Remus Lupin had popped into his mind. How could someone like that be a monster? He pushed the image away viciously.

As Andy's dark eyes bore into his silver ones, Sirius felt his resolve give way. The elegant woman in front of him was not going to let him repress his feelings and she stared at him forcefully, a technique he was all too familiar with from childhood. The next moment he found himself spilling all to his cousin.

Sirius' first reaction had been horror. He'd grown up hearing that all half bloods were monsters – dirty creatures that deserved nothing but hate and scorn. The black haired boy had always revolted against his family's prejudices, but he had been unable to quell that first reflexive stab of fear and disgust. Even after having physically run away from his notorious family, he was still unable to escape the psychological effect they'd inflicted on him.

Andy nodded as she listened to her cousin's confession. She knew all too well how ingrained some things were in their family. She had felt it too, when Wendy had first told her about her son, that fear, that hate. But she had forced herself to see the world differently when she had run away with Ted and she had compelled to fight against what she knew were close minded, prejudicial views.

"It's just so… wrong," Sirius finished with a shiver. "It goes against nature."

"It may be unnatural, but it doesn't mean we have to despise it," Andy told him quietly. "There are so many things in this world that some people say are wrong, but others embrace wholeheartedly. Homosexuality –"

A disgusted cry interrupted her. "How can you even compare lycanthropy to that!?" yelled Sirius, hands shaking.

"Sirius – "

"No, Andy. There is no way you can even _try_ to make this seem OK, by brining that up."

"Sirius!" Andy cried desperately as her cousin stormed from the room.

The dark haired woman sat wearily down on the bed, her head in her hands. She had tried to talk Sirius round, tried to make him understand, but it had backfired completely.

Ted poked a grave face around the door to the bedroom. Coming in, he sat down softly beside his wife. "He found out, then."

Andy winced as a door slammed closed upstairs.

"What do I do?" cried Andy, resting her head on Ted's shoulder. "I tried to talk to him, make him see that he can't succumb to what our family forced him to believe, but…" she trailed off miserably.

The mousy haired man laid a comforting hand on his wife's shoulder. "It was good of you to try to talk to him, but he's going to have to sort this through himself and come to a decision on his own now. It will work through in the end," he promised.

Andy sighed. "I just wish it wasn't so complicated!"

Ted gave a wry smile. "Nothing is ever not complicated."

* * *

**A/N**: So, there it is. I'm interested to know how people thought Sirius would react... I know not everyone will like his reaction, but I feel it would be true of his charcter after staying locked up with his family for longer than he did in canon. Also, I do realise that I've written two full moons in about four chapters, but I needed it to work this way, and I hope you can excuse my slight time shifting! Rest assured, a month has passed since Lily found out. I just didn't write every single day of it :) Reviews are love.


	13. There's A Hole In Your Logic

**Disclaimer: **Same as usual, anything you recognise isn't mine.

**Author's Note:** Finally, _finally, _I'm back! I am so, so, so sorry this chapter has taken so long to post. My life is too hectic for its own good at the moment and to be honest, this chapter was really quite tough. I know I shouldn't make excuses but, well, I'm not perfect ;) Again, I'm sorry. Feel free to throw tomatoes at me! Anyway, an incredible amount of editing later, I hope you like chapter thirteen....

* * *

_Previously in __There's A Hole In Your Logic:_

... The mousy haired man laid a comforting hand on his wife's shoulder. "It was good of you to try to talk to him, but he's going to have to sort this through himself and come to a decision on his own now. It will work through in the end," he promised.

Andy sighed. "I just wish it wasn't so complicated!"

Ted gave a wry smile. "Nothing is ever not complicated."

* * *

**Chapter Thirteen: There's A Hole In Your Logic.**

Andy and Ted sat quietly on the bed for a few more minutes. Suddenly, the dark haired woman stood up.

"The Lupins must be feeling horrible right now!" she exclaimed. "I have to go over and apologize."

"You don't have to apologize for Sirius, Andromeda. He's old enough to do so himself," Ted told his wife.

Andy looked pained. "I know, but I still have to go over there. Wendy will be so upset."

Ted didn't protest further as he followed his wife out into the hall. He watched as she pulled on a coat and slipped out of the house before looking up at the ceiling to where Sirius' room was. He stood a few moments frowning before turning and making his way to the kitchen.

* * *

Andy shivered in the cold wind as she stood on the front step of the house next door. As the door pulled open slowly, she was bathed in warm light and she blinked in the sudden brightness. When her vision cleared, she saw that Wendy was standing at the door.

The look her friend gave her was enough to make Andromeda's heart ache. "I didn't even _think_," she cried, stepping into the well-lit hallway. "I am so sorry, Wendy."

The two women embraced before Wendy pulled her taller companion into the front room.

"Thank you for coming," she said softly.

"Oh, God, I feel so terrible!" said Andy. "He said that he was going next door and I was so preoccupied that I didn't even realise until it was too late."

Wendy shushed her upset friend softly and pushed her towards a flowery armchair.

"Andy, you need to calm down," she said, moving towards a wooden cabinet and pouring two glasses of scotch. She set one glass down in front of the dark haired woman. "It helps," she said with a wry smile.

Andy picked up the glass and took a small sip of the brown liquid, sighing.

"I'm so sorry," she repeated.

"It was bound to happen sooner or later. James couldn't stop it, he was caught off guard. He feels so horrible, the poor boy."

"Is that how it happened, then? Sirius didn't say…"

Wendy nodded. "Sirius wanted to see Remus, wish him better – " At Andy's confused look, she elaborated, "Sirius thought Remus was coming down with the flu. That's what they'd told him."

"Ah."

"And as you know, Sirius came over here. He started getting suspicious when James said he couldn't see him. It all unravelled from there, I guess. I don't know the exact details."

"How is he? Remus, I mean."

Pain flickered over Wendy's face before she looked down into her glass and sighed.

"It should be over in a few hours. I just hope he doesn't hurt himself too badly." A single tear fell into the scotch the auburn haired woman was holding, the only crack in her otherwise flawless composure.

Andy squeezed her hand.

"And Sirius?" asked Wendy after a moment. "He ran out of here so quickly. He didn't take it well, did he?"

Andromeda avoided her friend's gaze. "I'm sure he'll come 'round," she said softly.

Looking up, Andy saw Wendy giving her a sad smile. "It's not easy to overcome something you've been brought up with. I'm just so worried for Remus. He really, really cares for Sirius and I'm afraid that this will break – "

Andy shook her head vigorously, interrupting her friend. "No. Sirius will come to terms with this. I know he will."

Wendy smiled at her friend but remained silent. Taking another sip of scotch, Andy silently vowed to make Sirius see sense no matter what it took.

* * *

The next morning Sirius lay in bed, desperately hoping that last night had been one horrible nightmare. Unfortunately, the gnawing hole in his heart told him it hadn't.

The inescapable fact was that Remus was a werewolf - a creature that turned into a raving monster once a month. Sirius closed his eyes and groaned. How could he not have realised? There were so many things that stood out like a sore thumb, now that he knew the truth. How could he have been in contact with, been _friends _with, _kissed_ a werewolf, and not even noticed it? All the stories his family had ever told him came flooding back, all the snarky comments about dirty men and ragged women, those wild and raving lunatics, assaulted him in a heady rush. Sirius rolled into a sitting position on the edge of his bed, hunched forward with his head in his hands. Remus wasn't dirty, he wasn't wild or raving. He was an honest and caring person, and Sirius was confused.

The things his family had told him didn't match up in the slightest with what he knew about his neighbour. He'd never heard anything about child werewolves, and he had never actually encountered a werewolf outside the horror stories told to him as a young boy.

Sirius glanced at the clock on his wall. It was nine forty in the morning – late for him - and he stood up slowly, grabbing a jumper from his closet and pulling it on.

The house was eerily quiet as he made his way downstairs and Sirius remembered it was Friday. Andy was at work and Ted must have taken Nymphadora out somewhere on his day off.

As the black haired boy passed the front door to head towards the kitchen, a movement through the window caught his attention. Lily was making her way down the street, wisps of red hair floating around her face in the breeze. She was carrying a basket and Sirius saw her look down every so often, evidently to check that whatever was inside it was still OK.

Anger slowly began to grow within Sirius as he watched Lily stop outside the Lupin's house and push open the gate. She knew. She knew, and James knew and Andy knew, and they had all known and they hadn't told him. Sirius pushed away from the window angrily and stomped off to get breakfast.

* * *

Lily was completely oblivious to the eyes watching her as she made her way up the Lupins' path. Stopping outside the front door, she checked a final time whether her surprise was in order and knocked on the door.

"I have mousse!" cried Lily triumphantly when James opened the door to admit her. The half-hearted smile the black haired boy gave in return, however, was enough to tell her that something was wrong. Following James to the kitchen, she hurriedly put her basket down on the bench and turned to him with a worried look.

"What's wrong?" she asked.

James grimaced. "Sirius knows."

They were two simple words, yet it was the way they were uttered that made Lily's stomach twist.

"He didn't take it very well," she stated unnecessarily.

James looked at her desperately. "I didn't mean it to happen," he whispered.

Lily laid a comforting hand on his arm.

The black haired boy seemed suddenly overwhelmed. "I – I – he just – I couldn't help it!" he stuttered. "I feel so bad."

"Hey," Lily shushed him soothingly, rubbing his arm. "It's not your fault. You weren't to know."

Hazel eyes bored into emerald green as James desperately tried to believe what she said.

"Tell me what happened, exactly," said Lily softly. "Start from the beginning – maybe it'll help."

James took a deep breath and began to recount the night's events.

"Andy came over not long after," he concluded a few minutes later. "She and Wendy were in the front room for ages."

Lily nodded as she processed the information James had given her.

"And Remus?" she asked finally.

"He's still asleep."

"I'll stay. We'll tell him together."

James looked at her.

"What?" she asked. "He has to know. It won't be easy but it'll be better if he hears it from us."

The black haired boy sighed. "I know, I know. It's just – it'll be really hard on him."

Lily nodded and they fell silent.

A rustle at the door way caught their attention a moment later and the two teenagers looked up to see Wendy standing tiredly in the entrance to the kitchen. She was unself- consciously wearing a light green dressing gown with matching fuzzy slippers.

"Lily," she said, smiling at the red head warmly and stepping forward to hug her. "It's good you came."

"I brought some of my mum's mousse," said Lily over Wendy's shoulder. "I remember Remus saying he liked it."

"Thank you," Wendy said before looking between them with tired, yet still sharp eyes. "James has filled you in then, has he?"

Lily nodded, unable to think of anything to say.

"Is there anything we can do to help?" asked James and Wendy smiled sadly at him.

"Not at the moment, dear. John is still sleeping and Remus hasn't woken yet." A shadow passed over her face almost too quickly for the two Gryffindors to catch it.

"I was just coming down to make a cup of tea," she continued. "Would you like one?"

Lily and James declined as Wendy moved towards the kettle and filled it with water.

"Remus should be up in a few hours time, if you'd like to stay," she told Lily. "You're always welcome."

"Thank you, I will."

They stood in the kitchen as Wendy waited for the water to boil, the silence not uncomfortable.

As the kettle began to whistle, Wendy carefully poured the boiling water into a pink and white striped mug. She poured the rest of the water in a large matching bowl before setting the now empty kettle back onto the stove.

"Can I help you with that?" asked James as Wendy picked up both the bowl and cup of tea.

"Oh, no, no! I'll manage," she said. The two Gryffindors followed her out of the kitchen before they stopped at the stairs leading to the first floor.

"I'm just going to redress some of Remus' bandages and then you'll be able to go in and sit with him," she said.

They nodded and watched as she turned and bustled her way up stairs, miraculously not spilling a single drop of hot liquid.

"I can't believe him!" James exclaimed minutes later, shaking his head in anger. "Doesn't he know how many people he's hurting?"

Somehow, Lily knew immediately what the dark haired boy meant and leant back on the arm of the couch.

"It's not entirely unexpected, James. Sirius is a Black and he grew up with their views all his life."

James snorted. "Sure, we can blame it on his family all we want, but he's the one who kept on going on about how he doesn't believe in their views and that he's against discrimination, and now he goes and fucking –" James stopped, unable to properly express himself without incurring serious damage on the Lupin's front room.

Lily frowned. "It doesn't sit well with me either, but we can't just shut him out completely."

"Remus is our friend –"

"Sirius is our friend too, James!"

"How can you be so calm about all of this?" exclaimed James. "Sirius is acting like the monster here."

"He's been brought up in that despicable house for so long that this reaction is ingrained in him. It's his reflex! He can't help how he reacts, but he can learn to overcome it. He will."

"Since when are you all in tune with everyone's feelings?"

Lily rolled her eyes. "I'm serious, James. I'm sure that if Sirius can somehow get over what he's been taught for sixteen years, then he will."

The black haired boy couldn't argue with her steadfast determination and instead resolved to punch Sirius in the nose when the opportunity arose.

A few minutes later, Wendy popped her head around the door and told them it was okay for them to go up.

"He was starting to stir a little so he might wake up soon. Just stay as quiet as you can," she reminded them.

James and Lily entered Remus' bedroom and softly pulled the door closed behind them. Weak sunshine streamed through partially opened blinds and bathed half of their friend in a golden glow. They could see fresh wounds on the arm that wasn't under the soft white blanket and there were a few scratches on the exposed skin of the boy's neck. Lily, who wasn't as used to seeing Remus after the moon as James, bit her lip worriedly.

The two teenagers sank into the chairs left ready next to the edge of the bed and Remus shifted slightly. Lily and James watched their friend frown in his sleep and let the warm morning sunshine calm their emotions.

"This isn't going to be easy for him," the black haired boy whispered, his eyes still on his slumbering friend.

Lily tore her eyes away from the purpling bruises littered over her friend's pale skin. "I know," she said. "We just have to be there for him."

It wasn't long before the werewolf opened his eyes blearily and Lily and James sat up straighter in their chairs.

Remus groaned softly, reaching up to rub his eyes.

"Hey mate," said James gently, leaning towards his friend. "How you holding up?"

Remus gave him a wry smile and drawled, "Never better." James chuckled.

Slowly, and wincing with almost every movement, Remus eased himself up into a relaxed sitting position, refusing Lily's offer to help. He sank back onto the fluffed up pillows and noticed that James was staring at him.

Frowning, the werewolf asked, "What?" His frown deepened when he saw Lily glance quickly at James.

When James didn't answer, Remus turned to the red head. "What's going on?" It was when Lily opened her mouth, closed it, opened it, and closed it again, unable to say anything, that Remus realised that something was very wrong.

"For Merlin's sake – just tell me!" he exclaimed, not as forcefully as he would have liked - it hurt to shout. He looked at James, pinning him with his 'if you don't tell me, you'll regret it' look.

James looked down at his hands, then back up at Remus. The werewolf noticed Lily's supporting arm on his friends shoulder and his stomach plummeted even before James uttered the words.

"He knows."

James and Lily could immediately see the effect this information had on their friend. Remus' shoulders drooped, his face went blank and he almost visibly withdrew further into the pillows.

"Right," he muttered, so quietly that his friends almost missed it. "He doesn't want to know me anymore."

Remus knew Lily got up; he knew there was a hand on his arm; knew there were consoling words said to him, but he could not feel or hear any of it. Everything had dissolved into a feeling of numbness.

James and Lily watched in despair as the shutters went up, and their friend closed in on himself. There was nothing they could do to stop it.

* * *

The next few days passed by as a blur of worried glances, sullen silences and vacant responses.

Lily and James tried desperately to cheer Remus up. However, not even Lily's mum's chocolate mousse complete with chocolate chunks could take his mind off of things. Wendy and John watched helplessly as their son flitted through the house with no real purpose, offered his friends smiles that didn't reach his eyes and laughed half heartedly to the funniest jokes.

Andy observed Sirius slink his way around the house with the look of someone who was waging a deep internal war. Ted noticed the way he no longer enthusiastically played with Nymphadora and his guardians exchanged worried glances when thuds came from Sirius' room that sounded suspiciously like a fist hitting a wall.

Wendy and Andy exchanged notes quietly over the dividing fence to their properties, offering advice and giving consolations. "They'll come 'round," was the note they always ended on. They had to.

* * *

Almost a week after the moon, something finally happened.

"This is getting absolutely ridiculous!" cried Andromeda angrily as they sat at the dining table eating dinner.

Startled at her mother's raised tone, Dora dropped her fork and Ted shot his wife a warning look.

"I'm sorry, Ted, I just can't stand to watch this any longer." She was staring at Sirius who had, up to this point, been playing with his food with a sullen expression. Now the dark haired boy was looking at her with annoyed eyes.

"What? I haven't been doing anything," he defended moodily.

Ted took the opportunity to pick up his daughter, grab what was left of his and her food and leave the kitchen. Dora's delighted squeal at finding she could for once watch television while eating dinner carried back to the two Blacks left at the table.

"Don't play stupid with me," Andy warned. "You've been moping around here for the last few days like the world ended and you know it."

"I have not been moping!" Sirius exclaimed, voice rising in outrage.

"Oh yes you have, and you know perfectly well why."

Sirius remained stubbornly silent, glaring at his cousin as if he could make her disappear with the sheer force of his displeasure.

"I don't know what you're talking about," he finally said. The stiff reply was not lost of Andy and she rolled her eyes.

"Sirius, I am going to beat you over the head with a broomstick if you don't face up to what you've obviously been denying for the last few days."

Without thinking, Sirius challenged, "Oh yeah, and what's that?" He realized his mistake as soon as the words had left his mouth and Andy smirked triumphantly.

"That you know Remus is a werewolf and you don't bloody care."

"Of course I care! He's a disgusting monster and I don't want to have anything to do with him," Sirius yelled, ignoring the fact that his shout was only half hearted. The volume of the TV in the other room went up a few notches and Andy slammed the kitchen door shut with a flick of her wand before turning back to her cousin, shaking her head at him.

"You do. It's written all over your face. You miss them. Him. Admit it."

It seemed that Sirius was fighting a great internal battle. "I do not care for filthy half-breeds or those who care to associate with them," he finally said haughtily.

"Don't you dare go all _pure-blood Black_ on me," Andy rounded on him, voice icy. "This isn't you."

Sirius didn't reply.

"What happened to the boy who ran away from his family because he 'hated all their pureblood fantasies'?" Andy made air quotes and Sirius scowled at her. "That's what you told me when you first came here. It's what you've told your friends too, no doubt. I know you, Sirius. You've said it yourself - you don't believe in their prejudices. Why hold on to this one?"

"You don't even know half of it," muttered Sirius.

"Then tell me."

The black haired boy stood up so violently that the chair he had been sitting on clattered backwards. Andy watched with narrowed eyes as he paced the room agitatedly.

"He's – he's a werewolf, Andy," Sirius finally said, turning to her with wide eyes. "We're not meant –"

"Not meant? _Not meant?_ Sirius, we can do or think whatever the bloody hell we want to. It's not a question of whether we're meant to or not."

"But they're monsters, Andy!" he cried. "They're not natural."

"Don't start quoting your mother at me, cousin," said Andy coldly and Sirius glared at her. "Have you even stopped to think about your friend Lily? She's a _mudblood _and in our books that's even worse than a werewolf!"

Sirius flinched as she flung the word at him, but he stopped pacing. It was true; to the Blacks a muggle-born was infinitely worse than a half-breed, but he hadn't even blinked when he'd found out Lily had no magical relatives. No, the situation with Remus went further than something like that.

"That's different," he finally muttered.

"How?" demanded Andy. "How is that diff-"

"BECAUSE I LOVE HIM, OK!?"

Through the silence that followed, sounds of laughter and music could be heard coming from the other room.

When Andy didn't reply, Sirius continued in a soft and almost defeated voice, "Do you know how terrifying that is? I don't know what to do!"

Andy stared at her cousin while Sirius stared at the floor wearing a look of confused anger and quiet desperation.

_And there it is, _she thought to herself. They'd finally come to the heart of the matter. Sirius loved Remus, and though his heart urged him to accept the boy's condition, his family's views still clouded his mind. She had to make him see that it was OK to let go of one thing and embrace another – however frightening it might be.

"The night I ran away with Ted, I had never been so terrified in my life," Andy began softly, looking at the worn wood of the dining table under her hands. She could feel Sirius' eyes on her but did not look up when he picked up his chair from the floor and resumed his place at the table.

"It was dark and cold and I'd packed my bags as secretly as I could so Narcissa and Bella wouldn't realise what I was doing. Ted and I had planned for me to leave in the middle of the night – I would sneak out when everyone was sleeping and we'd meet on the corner and Apparate to his house," she stopped with a wry grin. "Turns out the middle of the night is exactly when people expect you to run away.

"Bella was waiting for me on the stairs when I came down. She woke everyone up with her yelling, though Father was away on a trip at the time. Up until then I'd hoped to keep in contact with them somehow – I knew Bellatrix would never forgive me but I hoped Cissy would come around. But they made me choose. On those stairs, on that cold night, they made me choose between them and Ted. And I chose what was right." Andromeda fell silent then, still staring at her hands unseeingly. After a moment she seemed to shake herself and looked up to see Sirius staring at her with a mixture of awe, fear and hope in his eyes.

"It was the best decision I've ever made," she told him and Sirius nodded slowly.

"They're not the ones making you choose now, Sirius. You decided when you ran away that you were against them. Now you're just fighting a memory, and _you_ have to choose what you believe – what you think is right."

They both fell silent and sat, lost in their own thoughts. Sirius knew what he felt – he knew that he loved Remus but he could not seem to shake the hold his family still had on him. He felt like he was falling into a gaping abyss, words whispering to him… _monster… half-breed…disgusting._ Sirius blinked and shook himself. He did not want to think those things – he did not believe in them. Slowly and deliberately he began to shut out the lies circling in his head, focusing on the image of Remus drinking milk out of a carton, the feel of his chest underneath soft material, the shine of his auburn hair in the sunlight. With a shuddering breath and a feeling of irrepressible relief, Sirius finally broke free of his family's hold.

Andy was watching him when he turned to face her. "Am I a horrible person?" he asked.

"No, Sirius. You're human. Just like me, just like James and Lily, just like Remus."

The black haired boy closed his eyes. "I'm still scared," he whispered. Andy knew it had taken a lot for Sirius to reveal these feelings and she stood and moved over to him, placing a comforting hand on his shoulder.

"Love can be terrifying, Sirius, even in the most simple of circumstances. But it's going to work out," she told him.

"He's not going to want to see me anyway," he said softly. "They all probably think I'm just a stuck up bastard who doesn't give a shit about anything."

Andy tutted. "They don't think that. It's late now, wait until tomorrow and we'll go over."

Sirius didn't answer. Instead he began clearing away what was left of their now cold dinner. It was odd, really - the resolution seemed almost anti-climatic, but he was still terrified out of his wits.

* * *

The next morning found Sirius and Andy standing on the threshold to the Lupin's home and Sirius hadn't felt so scared since, well, ever.

The door opened just as he was taking a deep breath and he swallowed the air reflexively, almost making himself choke.

Wendy looked at the two cousins for a moment before silently stepping aside to let them pass. Sirius felt infinitely worse. He felt he deserved a door slamming in his face much more than being allowed into the home where he'd behaved so terribly.

Andy led Sirius to the front room and Wendy followed behind. As they entered, James, who had been sitting with Lily on the couch, jumped up angrily. "What's he doing here?" he demanded and Sirius flushed, looking at the ground.

"James, stop it," said Lily, grabbing his arm and pulling him towards the door. As the boy resisted she turned and hissed "later!" into his ear before leading him out of the room.

The two adults acted like nothing had even happened.

"It's nice of you to visit," said Wendy after Andy had pushed Sirius onto a couch.

Sirius blinked in surprise. He had expected yelling of some sort, or cold dislike – nothing even close to friendliness from Remus' mother. He had, after all, just spent the last week showing all lycanthropes why they hide their condition so thoroughly.

Andy smiled at her friend when Sirius didn't say anything. "We had a bit of a – talk – last night," she explained.

"I'm so sorry!" exclaimed Sirius suddenly, leaning forward in his desperation to relay his sincerity to Wendy. "I really, really am sorry."

Wendy nodded. "I understand what you've been through," she told him. "It must have been hard growing up as a Black." She didn't offer him sympathy, exactly, but more of grim acknowledgement.

After a moments silence, Sirius glanced up to find both women looking at him expectantly.

"Is Remus – is he here? Can I see him?" he ventured.

Wendy looked at him for so long that he started to think she was going to start yelling at him after all. He was about to apologize again when she said, "We want this as much as you do, Sirius. Remus hasn't been himself lately."

The black haired boy looked down guiltily.

"Go ahead."

Sirius looked up to see Wendy gesturing to the stairs. "He's in his room."

The black haired boy made his way to Remus' bedroom door nervously. He could hear Lily and James arguing quietly in the guest bedroom across the hall but he ignored their lowered voices. Before he could lose his nerve, he took a deep breath and knocked on the door.

When he got no answer he opened the door a crack and peered through.

"I said I wanted to be alone," said Remus as Sirius stepped inside and closed the door behind him. He was facing away from the door, staring intently at something on his bookshelf.

"Well, I wanted to see you," said Sirius quietly.

Remus whirled around at the sound of the boy's voice. Sirius could not read all the emotions whirling through Remus' eyes, but he could plainly see the pain on his friend's face.

"Leave me alone, Sirius," growled the auburn haired boy. He had his arms crossed, hunched in on himself.

"No, Remus. We have to talk."

"Go away!" he cried. Turning to face the black haired boy, he glared icily. "I mean it."

Sirius took a step forward. "Remus…"

"Black, leave my room right now," snarled the werewolf.

Sirius recoiled at Remus' use of his surname but it didn't deter him completely. He took a few steps closer to the auburn haired boy.

"Look, I know that I have been the biggest bastard this last week –"

Remus' humorless laugh bordered on hysterical and Sirius blinked in alarm. He took a few more steps towards his friend.

"- I was wrong -"

"No. You were right, Sirius," interrupted Remus. "Now you can leave the filthy werewolf in peace and go back to your pure and clean blooded family."

Auburn coloured eyes burned as Sirius stepped closer again, reaching to put a hand on Remus' arm.

The right hook came out of no where. Sirius staggered backwards clutching the side of his face.

"GET THE FUCK OUT OF MY ROOM!" yelled Remus, so loudly that Sirius was sure the shout had carried through the whole house.

Too shocked to properly respond, Sirius backed away, still staring at Remus' now turned back. As he turned and made his way downstairs he didn't really register the worried faces that peered out of the guest bedroom, nor the shocked looks of the women in the front hallway. It was only when he was half way down the Lupin's front garden that he noticed two people noisily trying to catch up behind him.

* * *

When James finally caught up to Sirius, and Lily to James, the trio was in the middle of the Lupin's front lawn.

"What the fuck do you think you're doing?" James all but roared at Sirius' back.

"James, would you calm down! Shouting won't help anything," cried Lily.

Sirius turned around to face the two Gryffindors.

James blinked when he saw the already purpling eye Sirius was sporting.

"I'd punch you but I can see someone already did," he said, and Lily scowled.

"Look," said Sirius resignedly, "I know I've been an arse lately – ""

"You can say that again – "

"- but you have to know that I'm not – I don't – " he stuttered to a stop. Everything that came to his head sounded cheesy and cliché.

"You don't care Remus is a werewolf," Lily answered for him.

James snorted. "Bit rich coming from the guy who ran away practically screaming when he found out. Where've you been this past week, huh? Do you know how – " James had to stop too. "Remus hasn't been the same since you decided to become an obnoxious prick," he said in a low voice.

A pained look crossed over Sirius' face. "Don't you think I fucking know that?" he hissed, eyes darting to the house. "I've been beating myself up about it all night!"

James looked skeptical but Lily interrupted whatever he was going to say next.

"I believe Sirius. I always knew he'd come around." She fixed James with a stare that clearly said the argument had come to a close. "Now we just need to make sure Remus knows."

"Well I'm not exactly his favourite person right now," said Sirius dejectedly.

James, who didn't think Sirius should be let off that easily, was still glowering in the other boy's direction when the sound of the front door closing distracted the three teenagers.

"Sirius, let's go," said Andy, striding down the garden path.

James was about to say something to Sirius when Andromeda interrupted him. "James, if you'd like to help Remus, go inside and be there for him instead of out here picking fights. We all know that this is stupid and that it will resolve itself, so don't try to pick at things that aren't there. Sirius means what he says and you should accept that for Remus' sake."

James was shocked silent by Andy's admonishment and managed a nod before Lily dragged him back to the Lupin's house.

Andy and Sirius, in turn, made their way back home.

"It's no use, Andy," said the black haired boy, when they had closed the front door and made their way to the front room. "He doesn't want anything to do with me anymore. I screwed up, it's what I deserve."

"He's rejecting you because he thinks you'll reject him. He thinks if he does it first, it will ease the pain," she told Sirius, gently inspecting his bruised eye.

"But I'm not rejecting him! I told him –"

"I know that, Sirius," Andy said while leading him into the kitchen for an ice pack. "But what can you expect him to think? It doesn't help that our family is known for their despise of half-breeds and that you disappeared for a week."

Sirius hung his head. "What else can I do? If he won't even see me…"

Andy gave her cousin a hug, resting her chin on his shoulder. "We'll figure something out."

* * *

It was late by the time Sirius got to bed that night. He'd mulled over countless ways to apologize to Remus; he'd even had conversations in his head about how to convince everyone that he was serious – no pun intended – about accepting his friend's lycanthropy.

He sighed as he pulled his pyjama top over his head. He knew people - especially James - were skeptical about what he said. He knew it must look odd for someone to react so strongly and then turn around and say they'd changed. It was complicated and he was no expert on why people do what they do, but Andy had told him some things, and slowly he had begun to understand the psychology of his turn around.

The reason it had taken him longer to come to terms with the situation was simply because it was an Unknown. He had never encountered it before. Muggles and muggle-borns he had met and gotten to know. He could see that what his family had told him was simply untrue and with the evidence, it was easy to dismiss his family's views.

One, however, does not encounter werewolves everyday. So when the realisation came that Remus was one, it startled him to the core. Somewhere inside him, he had still accepted his family's warped views of half-breeds because he had not come up against any evidence that told him otherwise. It was shameful, he knew, that he hadn't dismissed the ideas implanted in him like he had the rest. He should have realised that the lies his family had told him applied to more than just muggles. He ought to have accepted sooner the fact that werewolves are people, just like everyone else. But he hadn't - he wasn't perfect, after all.

Sirius shook his head to clear the multitude of thoughts that were buzzing around his mind. Glancing out of his window, he was startled to see Remus standing at his own, half bathed in the warm light of his desk lamp. The auburn haired boy's eyes burned into his own with such intensity that the hairs on the back of Sirius' neck stood on end. It wasn't a passionate stare, nor was it a hateful one and they stood there for minutes until Remus finally broke the connection. As he watched the Gryffindor move away from the window, Sirius' heart hammered and he hoped desperately that his past mistakes would not continue to haunt him in the future.

* * *

Andy began to quietly despair after days had passed and Sirius' realisation had brought about no change. Her cousin assured her that he was trying to figure out a way to approach Remus again, seeing as his last try had resulted in a swollen eye, but the more time passed, the hope of resolution began to drop.

"Just go and speak to him again!" urged Andy, three days after The Dinner. Sirius, who was helping his cousin do the shopping, looked around the small grocery – worried that someone would over hear their conversation. Making their way to the register, Andy began to pile the contents of their baskets on the counter, giving the harassed looking shop keeper an apologetic smile as their shopping swamped the small counter.

"You know how last time turned out!" Sirius hissed at her, ignoring the shop keeper's raised eyebrow. "I can't just waltz back in and demand his forgiveness."

Andy tutted as she took the bags handed to her and began to pile them into his arms. "I don't expect you to waltz, Sirius. I think you should tango."

At this the shop keeper snorted and Sirius scowled when he saw the amused look his cousin was giving him. "Really though, Sirius. You have to find a way to approach him sooner or later, and I, personally, would rather it be sooner," she told him while paying for the shopping.

The two left the store and began to make their way down Main Street, stopping to let pass an elderly couple emerging from the bank. Sirius, looking back to watch the pair clasp hands lovingly and continue up the street, followed Andy unseeingly around the corner.

As they rounded the bend, Sirius turned back and was just about to mention the fact that he'd like to make up with Remus as soon as possible as well, when he collided bodily with the very subject of their talk. Parcels and packages lay forgotten on the ground as the two boys stared at each other uneasily and Andy exchanged a glance with Wendy Lupin – both women having successfully avoided a collision.

Remus' eyes skated over Sirius' face, lingering almost apologetically over the bruised skin before sliding self consciously down to the ground. Silently, he began to pick up the scattered items. His movement seemed to startle Sirius out of his own stillness and the black haired boy bent down to help. Over their heads, a silent conversation passed between the two women and as the boys finally stood, some kind of decision seemed to have been made.

"Well, we'll see you later then," said Andy cheerfully, breaking the tense silence that had fallen.

The two boys seemed not to notice her words and Wendy nodded at her friend. "Certainly. Come now Remus, we've some shopping to do."

The groups set off in opposite directions, Andy and Sirius heading in the direction of home. Looking back, Sirius' eyes met Remus' once more before the auburn haired boy turned back and broke the connection.

* * *

It was with a pillow hitting him repeatedly over the head that Sirius was rudely awoken eight hours later. Grumbling incoherently, the teenager was dragged to his feet, squinting in the light of his bed room lamp.

"Gjhdhds," he protested as a jumper was shoved over his head, and his clumsy fingers sought to rub his tired eyes. His hand was intercepted, however, as Sirius was urged towards the door and down the stairs.

He had the feeling that he should be more resistant towards being abducted in the middle of the night, but it seemed his sleep addled brain was refusing to send out any rational thought for at least another five minutes.

His assailant continued to pull him towards the front door and the biting cold that hit his face served to wake him up somewhat.

"What -" Sirius began before being shushed and dragged down the garden path.

"Don't ask questions, just come _on_, you lumbering oaf!" Sirius was perplexed - the voice sounded suspiciously like Andromeda's.

Finding himself on the step of the Lupin's front door, Sirius began to wake up to the fact that something _shifty_ was going on. His time in the harsh night air had helped disperse the sleepy fog that had been clouding his mind and he turned to his kidnapper with a frown. He was unsurprised to see Andy knocking on the door.

"What do you think you're doing?" he asked, annoyed because his sleep had been interrupted and slightly – really - truly scared because he had envisaged his reunion with Remus to be a little less – forced.

Andy declined to answer and the door swung open not a moment later, revealing Wendy in a sky blue dressing gown. Again, Sirius was somehow unsurprised to see that his neighbour did not look in the least tired, and that, in fact, she seemed to have been waiting for them.

Andy pushed him forwards and Sirius stumbled over the threshold, trying to work out an argument in his mind.

"You can't do this," he told them as they stood in the hallway. Wendy raised an eyebrow at him and glanced at her accomplice.

"You've really left us no choice."

Sirius was about to protest again when both women grabbed him by an arm each and hauled him towards Remus' bedroom door. It was a miracle that they didn't wake up the whole house. Sirius knew it was useless to argue with Andy when she wore her look of sheer determination, and he had no hope in changing Wendy's mind.

The two women unceremoniously dumped him into the dark room and shut the door before he could properly right himself and attempt escape. He knew without trying the door that the two women had locked it behind him.

Remus woke blearily to the sound of his door creaking open and the noise of somebody stumbling into his room.

"Who's there?" he asked sleepily as a dark figure groped around in the darkness. Remus reached to his right, feeling with his hand for the lamp switch. Finally, he found it, flipping it on and squinted in the sudden glare. When his eyes adjusted, Remus sat up quickly in his bed.

"Sirius?" he asked incredulously, and a little warily, as the boy in question, finally able to see, glanced around the room before moving over to lean on the bookshelf.

"What are you doing here?"

"I was pulled out of bed and forced in here," explained Sirius.

Seeing the look on Remus' face, the black haired boy quickly backtracked. "Not that I don't _want_ to be here," he said. "I just wasn't planning this for the middle of the night."

When Remus didn't reply Sirius lowered his eyes to the floor and took a moment to collect his thoughts. When he looked back up, the auburn haired boy was still watching him guardedly.

"I've been thinking for days how to show you that I don't hate you," Sirius finally began quietly, "I know it's hard to believe after how I've acted but…" he trailed off, uncertain as to how to go on. "I can't make excuses for what happened. I know that. The only thing I can give you is my word and hope that you take it."

It was a while before Remus replied and Sirius leant on the bookshelf, waiting. He knew that what this conversation needed was time.

"You _ran_," Remus said softly into the waiting silence. "You were disgusted and horrified and you didn't want anything to do with me." The anguish in the boy's eyes made Sirius' heart ache.

"I know that," Sirius said. "I know what I did but I'm telling you – it's not like that anymore. The difference between me and my family is that I can overcome my initial prejudices. They just keep on believing, but I – I know better."

"You told us that when we first met you. But then you go and behave just like they would! You turned into what you said you weren't."

"I am nothing like my fucking family!" whispered the black haired boy fiercely.

Remus looked at him. "I really hope that's true, Sirius."

"It is," he said intently. "I just got caught up in the lies that my family had fed me. But I see the truth now - you're not a monster, you're kind, you're gentle and Merlin, I must sound like the biggest pouf – but that's just it. I should know more than others what it's like to be discriminated against. I have no right to shun you when I've had the same experiences happen to me for liking boys. I – I'm sorry. I'm sorry that I reacted the way I did, that I hurt you, that I acted like such a git. I know that what I did was wrong but I – I don't care that you're a werewolf… I don't."

"I'm sorry I punched you," said Remus quietly, minutes later.

Sirius raised his hand to gently touch the faded bruise over his left eye.

"I deserved it," said the black haired boy and Remus looked down at the blankets pooled in his lap.

"I was just so scared…" he said softly.

"Why?" asked Sirius.

"I was – I was scared you didn't want me," said the Gryffindor, still looking at his blankets.

Sirius frowned. "There is a serious hole in your logic, Remus," he told him. "I went to _you_. I tried to tell you I'd been an idiot but –"

"How was I to know you weren't just doing it because Andy told you?" interrupted Remus. "You _ran away_ from me, Sirius. I didn't see you for a week. You didn't want me so why should you want me now?"

Sirius cursed. "I was scared too, OK?!" he yelled. "God, it's not every day that you find out someone you love is a werewolf!"

Remus stared at him from across the room. Seconds ticked by in silence and thick tension gradually began to build in the air. Slowly, the auburn haired boy climbed out of bed and took a few steps forward.

"Love?" he asked quietly and incredulously. When Sirius didn't reply Remus continued, "You – you are the most _unbelievable_ git in the entirety of the whole world." Punctuating each word with a step, he stopped just in front of Sirius, staring at him so intently that the black haired boy gulped.

Sirius stumbled backwards when Remus suddenly lunged. He felt lips on his, crushing and urgent. The auburn haired boy gripped Sirius' shoulders and spun him around.

"You can't just play with me like some kind of _toy_, Sirius," he gasped into the black haired boy's mouth and pushed him backwards.

Sirius' "I wouldn't" was lost as the teenager's legs hit the bed and he lost his balance, falling back and dragging Remus down on top of him. The back of his head hit the headboard of the bed but he didn't care because Remus was kissing him and even though it was rough, and fierce and desperate, everything was alright again.

They shifted quickly, so that they were lying on the bed fully, all the while lips still locked together in a ferocious battle, hands running over chests and through hair. This was their mutual apology - something that words could not express and they both knew that somehow, they would put the past, awful week behind them.

Remus snaked his arm around and under the other boy's waist, holding them closer and tilted his head so he could nip Sirius' lower lip. Sirius responded eagerly, clutching one hand in Remus' wavy hair and deepening the kiss, his tongue running over the Gryffindor's teeth and lips.

Remus pushed his body further against Sirius', moaning softly into the boy's mouth as his hand gripped Sirius' hip tightly. He shivered as he felt Sirius run a hand down his back and the black haired boy groaned as Remus shifted slightly to get better command of his mouth.

Sirius could feel Remus' growing erection pressing against his thigh, his own similarly demanding attention. Remus' lips slipped over his mouth, over his chin and down, trailing kisses over his exposed neck. His fingers scrabbled over Sirius' soft pyjama shirt, urging it up and over his head.

The black haired boy gripped Remus' shoulders, arching up so they could deepen their kiss. It was hot and fiery, tongues sliding over each other and teeth clashing. Sirius gasped as Remus shifted suddenly, grazing his body over Sirius' tantalizingly.

Sirius moaned, his body rising upwards when Remus' sure hand slipped past the waistline of his boxer shorts. He arched up again to meet Remus' hungry mouth, eyes rolling back in pleasure when Remus shifted, adjusting his hold, and set a slow, deliberate pace.

His own hands fumbled at the tie to Remus' pyjama bottoms, pulling them down hastily until he had Remus in his hand and the auburn haired boy tilted his head back and moaned silently, pushing forwards.

Their mouths found each other again while their hands continued to grip and slide. Remus arched down into Sirius in increasingly uncontrolled movements and the black haired boy's eyes closed in pleasure as all his being centered on Remus' warm and moving hand.

They continued, gasping and moaning, Remus' deft hand pumping in a steady rhythm that brought Sirius closer and closer to the edge while he, in turn, made Remus thrust forward in desperate shoves.

Remus groaned into Sirius' shoulder when he came, his hand closing tighter around Sirius, bringing the black haired boy over the edge with him.

It was quick but it was oh so good, and Sirius fell back panting softly, Remus rolling over to rest against his side.

Sirius quickly magicked away the mess before wrapping an arm around Remus, and the auburn haired boy nuzzled his head against Sirius' bare shoulder, nipping playfully at the skin.

"James isn't going to like this," said Sirius into the peaceful quiet that had fallen. Remus shifted and looked at him.

"He's not going to like the fact that we're shagging or that we made up without telling anyone?" asked Remus with a quirked eyebrow.

"Probably both. God knows Prongs's been wanting to get in our pants himself for ages," said Sirius, making Remus laugh.

Before long they fell silent again. Jokes aside, it was very true that their resolution would be a surprise for their friend. Andy and Wendy, obviously, were the brains behind the whole plan and Remus had a feeling that there'd be no misgivings in Lily's mind.

"He's got to," stated Remus resolutely. "He'll see sense. And if not from us, than from Lily."

Sirius grinned and curled around Remus tighter. The auburn haired boy lay his head on his friend's shoulder and sighed. He knew that inside, there would always be a little part of him that would hurt because of Sirius' initial rejection. But living with lycanthropy for as long as he had, he had learnt not to take things for granted when they were offered.

Just before the two boys fell asleep, Remus shifted and whispered into Sirius' ear, "You're not going to leave me?" He had to make sure, one last time, that his heart would not be broken again.

"Never," said Sirius in such heartfelt conviction that Remus did not doubt the matter anymore, and slept.

* * *

Surprisingly and embarrassingly for the boys in question, Sirius and Remus were woken the next morning by the squeal of five year old Nymphadora.

"Mumma says to get up!" Dora cried, jumping onto the bed and bouncing on their legs exuberantly. She did not seem in the least fazed by the fact that there were two half naked boys sleeping in the same bed, one of whom was her cousin and the other her neighbour.

After such restful sleep it took a moment for them to get their bearings, an event not helped by the confusing fact of Dora's presence. Finally the boys looked up and caught Andromeda and Wendy standing in the doorway, mischief sparkling in their eyes. Remus fell out of the bed in a heap, accidentally pulling the duvet down with him as he tried to look like he hadn't just been using Sirius as a human pillow. Colour flaming across his cheeks, he scrambled up while Dora passed him laughing and went to stand by her mother. Sirius, also a rather impressive shade of red, tried to avoid looking at the two women.

"You boys should get dressed before anyone finds you," Wendy suggested, trying to sound stern but the twitch of her lips betrayed her amusement. The teenagers nodded. With identical smirks, the women turned away, Andy taking her daughter's hand, and left Sirius and Remus to die of mortification together.

* * *

After an hour eating breakfast stolen from downstairs, Remus' nerves quietly began to build. He knew that he shouldn't be scared of James' reaction – that if he was a good friend, he would accept Remus and Sirius' making up – but the werewolf couldn't help it. He knew that James was fiercely protective him, and he loved his friend to no end for it, but sometimes, his suspicion could get a little tiring.

It was not long after that Sirius left to go fetch some juice. Remus looked up in surprise as someone barged into his room a few seconds later. His stomach dropped as he saw James striding up to him. Wrongly assuming that his friend had run into Sirius on the stairs and had come demanding answers, Remus quickly interrupted him.

"Prongs, just drop it, alright. We've made up and you'll just have to accept that."

James blinked at him in confusion.

"What? What on Earth are you talking about, Moony?"

Realising his mistake, Remus began to back track desperately.

"What? Nothing – I just meant that –" his lame attempts were interrupted when Sirius strode into the room crying "Juice!" triumphantly.

James stared at the black haired boy for a second before rounding on Remus crying, "What is _he_ doing here?"

Remus bit his lip. "James, it's OK. Everything's fine."

"Fine?" asked James suspiciously, glancing back at Sirius who was looking between the two apprehensively.

"Yes, James, fine."

The black haired boy narrowed his eyes. "Last night you were still fighting and then I wake up and he's here for _breakfast_?"

"I am here, you know. I can hear you," said Sirius to James' back.

James chose to ignore him and raised his eyebrows at Remus. The werewolf, on the other hand, rolled his eyes in exasperation, stood up and dragged James out of the room.

Pulling him into the closest room available – the bathroom – Remus pushed his friend down onto the toilet and began to pace around the small space.

"I am going to say this once and only once, because, really, I'm over fighting with people – I've had enough of that to last me-"

The auburn haired boy held up a finger, forestalling James' imminent remarks.

"- a life time, and I don't want to quarrel with my best friend too. Sirius doesn't hate me anymore. I know that it seems hard to believe, but I can't risk losing him just because I'm scared."

James was quiet as he looked up at Remus' resolute face. "Are you sure?" the black haired boy asked quietly.

Remus blinked in surprise – he'd expected more yelling on James' part, not this easy acceptance. He'd take whatever he was given, however, and said "Yes," resolutely.

Remus followed James back to his room and chose to ignore James' short assault of Sirius with a pillow. It was bemusing to watch his two friends battle out their disagreements with such childish means but when the two boys finally stopped and shook hands he was simply thankful that his friends were friends again.

* * *

The sound of squealing interrupted the three boys a couple of hours later and they looked up to see Lily framed in the doorway of Remus' room. Before they could so much as move, the red head had launched herself at Remus and Sirius, hugging them both simultaneously and squishing them together. Unfortunately for the two boys, James' previous feathered weapon had fallen to the floor next to them and as Lily began to pull away, she saw the pillow, picked it up, and proceeded to pummel them with great vigor.

"Don't – you – ever – be – so – stupid – again!" she cried, punctuating each word with a swing from the cushion.

"OK, OK! Jesus, what's with the pillows today?!"

"Stop it! Lily, you've gone insane!"

The two boys desperately tried to avoid the red head's furious swatting.

"James, help us!" pleaded Remus, but the black haired boy just sat back with a smirk.

"Tosser!" cried Sirius, finally managing to put the bed between himself and his attacker. Remus crawled over to him and stood, brushing himself off with dignity.

Lily dropped the pillow panting slightly and grinned at them.

"Seriously though. Don't do it again," she said.

"Agreed," said Sirius and Remus nodded.

* * *

During the next few days, a couple of touchy moments were the only indicators that anything had gone awry during the course of the holidays. Eventually, though, everything evened out and the group carried on with their holiday as if nothing had ever happened. Lily began to pester James more and more about his homework and whether he was actually doing it, Sirius secretly began to get increasingly more nervous as the date of the first day of school loomed closer, James planned elaborate pranks for the upcoming school term and Remus spent his last days of the holidays laughing and smiling more than he ever had before.

* * *

**A/N:** It took forever but I hope the wait was worth it! Your thoughts would be gold :)

Also, I thought I'd let you all know in advance, that as this was originally meant to be a story about the summer, we don't have much left to go… there are only about two chapters of the story left!


	14. Giant Metal Horses

**Disclaimer: **I own nothing. Just the voices inside my head.

**Author's Note:** Wow. I can't believe how long it's been since I've updated! All I can say is that I am unbelievably sorry – life's been pretty hectic, what with finishing high school and working as much as I can to save up for my Gap Year. Anyway, I'd like to thank my awesome beta _**amberbelle**_ for her Great Editing Skillz.

Hugs go to all of you too, who have stuck with this story over the months. I hope you enjoy the penultimate chapter:

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* * *

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**Chapter Fourteen:**** Giant Metal Horses.**

To anyone watching in the early morning light, the three figures slinking around the side of the clean, white house on Maple Street would have looked extremely suspicious. Dawn had just broken and thankfully no one was looking as the three boys made it into the back garden without incident. After a whispered Alohamora, they disappeared into the safety of the house.

"Did anyone see us?" asked Remus worriedly, just avoiding crashing into an inconveniently placed grandfather clock.

"We should have used the cloak," whispered Sirius.

James ignored him as he tried to get his bearings. "Remus, where's the kitchen?" he asked softly.

"I can't believe we're trespassing _again," _Remus said in exasperation as he led his friends to the kitchen.

"It's not trespassing if our intentions are purely for the good of the person living in the house," assured James. He placed the tattered shopping bag he'd been carrying onto the bench in front of him.

Remus watched as James pulled out flour, eggs and milk and asked himself in disbelief why he let his friends get away with whatever god awful plans they come up with. Things almost always ended in disaster.

A noise from upstairs silenced their whispered conversation and James shot Sirius a pleading look. Sirius quickly pulled out his wand and hurriedly muttered a silencing charm.

"Great," said James. "Let's get down to business. Remus, you -"

"I told you, I'm not having anything to do with this," interrupted the werewolf, throwing his friends aprons. "You're going to blow up Lily's kitchen – or worse."

"We're not!" cried Sirius indignantly.

"Why'd you come, then, if you weren't going to help?" demanded James.

"I can't possibly miss the show," Remus said with a sly grin. Seeing the look of outrage on James' face, he shrugged. "You're going to prove her right," he warned them. When James stuck out his tongue at his friend, Remus rolled his eyes and said, "I'm going to go read."

* * *

Remus' groan of despair could be heard only twenty minutes later as an almighty bang rang through the air, effectively ripping apart Sirius' hastily cast silencing spell.

"Shit," cursed James.

Sirius' meek "Whoops," followed not a second later.

"Lily's going to kill you, you know," said Remus as he walked through the kitchen door.

The two dark haired boys glared at him. Unfortunately, it didn't have quite the affect they were hoping for, since they were covered from head to toe in flour.

"You know you really should have listened to Lily when she said you couldn't even cook pancakes. Now, you've gone and ruined her whole kitchen."

James picked up an egg from the kitchen bench and threw it at Remus. The werewolf, using his lightning fast reflexes, grabbed a frying pan and deflected the flying object into the sink where it exploded, spraying James and Sirius with yolk.

"Git," muttered James.

Remus grinned. "You know you love me."

Side-stepping the piles of pancake mixture on the floor, Remus moved closer and grabbed a tea towel. He proceeded to wipe down the faces of his two friends until their features were free of flour. Standing in front of Sirius, he gazed into the boy's silvery eyes and smiled. Sirius stared back playfully before deciding to ruin the moment by splatting pancake mixture onto the top of Remus' head. Remus glared at Sirius while James roared with laughter.

Before Remus could think of anything to do in retaliation, a cry of horror distracted them.

"Oh my _God_!" cried Lily. "What have you done?!"

James side stepped another small pile of creamy gunk and moved toward her.

"It's alright Lily, we've got it all under control."

The red head looked around her pancake splattered kitchen in dismay. "Of course," she said sarcastically. "What on Earth are you doing here? It's not even eight in the morning!"

Remus interrupted James' forthcoming answer. "They were making you pancakes for the last day of the holidays," he informed her, smiling as Sirius shot him a betrayed look.

"Pancakes," said Lily faintly, raising her hand to her forehead. Collecting herself, she rounded on James.

"James, you idiot! I told you that you couldn't cook!"

The black haired boy shrugged a little sheepishly.

"And what if my parents were home?" continued Lily. "They would have killed you! How did you even get in here?"

Sirius, as discreetly as possible, stepped to his left, effectively blocking her view of his wand on the counter. James replied, "Well, they're not, so there's no problem, is there?"

Lily rolled her eyes and turned to Remus. "I can't believe you let them do this."

"Hey, when you're up against those two…" he trailed off and shot her an apologetic look. "I warned them, anyway."

Lily looked around the kitchen again. "As much as I am flattered that you wanted to make me pancakes, you made this mess so you have to clean it up," she told James and Sirius.

"Aww!" James moved with surprising speed and enveloped the red head in a mighty hug. "She's flattered, Pads! Lily is flattered by our gallantry," he said in delight.

Lily rolled her eyes and batted James away. She looked down to discover he had left her covered in flour and glowered at him, though a hint of amusement flashed in her eyes.

"I'm going to go change. You," Lily said, pointing, "Clean this up."

The three boys watched her leave the kitchen and James sighed almost wistfully.

"Alright then," said Remus cheerfully. He moved over to a door near the fridge and pulled out a mop and bucket. He chucked one each to Sirius and James. Casually, he swiped Sirius' wand off of the counter, grabbed an apple and made his way to the door.

"Oi!" cried Sirius. "Where do you think you're going?"

Remus turned and glanced at the two wannabe-chefs. "I didn't make this mess, so I don't have to clean it." With an almighty grin and a bounce in his step, Remus left the kitchen and two disgruntled boys covered in flour and pancake mix behind.

* * *

Lily and Remus sat in the Evans' front room waiting for Sirius and James to finish cleaning.

"I can't believe we're going back to school tomorrow!" she exclaimed as Remus nodded.

"Time flies," he said, glancing quickly in the direction of the kitchen as a cry emitted from the depths of the house.

He and Lily exchanged exasperated yet amused smiles.

"So, where are your parents? I know you mentioned that they wouldn't be home for your last day of holidays but…" he trailed off.

"Oh, they're heading up to Leeds for a few days," said Lily. "Dad has a business meeting up there and Mum decided to go along. Petunia starts school in a few days so she's staying at her friends and they'll go off to school together." The sound of something clattering to the floor reached the front room, interrupting Lily.

"Everything alright in there?" she called exasperatedly.

"Dandy!" called back James.

Lily rolled her eyes and turned back to Remus. "Mum and Dad were sorry they couldn't stay to see me off but they had to leave last night to make it in time," she continued. "We had a family dinner yesterday though, so it was OK."

Remus nodded and offered her a smile. At that moment, Sirius and James entered the room.

"All done!" cried Sirius triumphantly, brushing his hands together.

"Are you sure?" asked Lily, warily. "I don't want to come home and have to clean the kitchen because you didn't do it right."

"Lily, love, I have had so many detentions with Filch that I should be re-christened the God of Cleaning," said James grandly.

Lily sighed and stood up. "Right then, well I don't know about you two but I'm starving. Want to go get breakfast?"

Agreeing heartily, the three boys followed her outside.

* * *

The morning flew by as Lily, James, Sirius and Remus shared a breakfast of waffles in the sunny corner café, visited Alice in the library for the last time and made a few last minute purchases before the start of school.

"Let's go get ice creams, shall we?" asked Lily, taking off her cardigan as they exited the local news agency. It was a surprisingly warm day and the perfect time to get a cool treat.

"Hello, dears!" trilled Penelope as the group made their way into the sunny ice cream parlor.

"Morning," said Lily, moving towards the glass counter.

"Last day of the holidays, aye?" asked Amber as she strolled out of the back room, carrying a box of napkins and straws.

"Yep," confirmed Remus. "We're here for our final sundae before school starts."

"It's tradition," Lily told James and Sirius as they walked along the display of flavours, deciding which one they felt like.

After they'd each ordered their ice creams, the group sat down at a round table in the corner.

Inevitably, while munching away, their conversation turned to the looming prospect of school.

"So, who should I look out for?" asked Sirius. "Any teachers I need to be warned about?"

"Beware of Filch and his stupid cat Mrs. Norris," jumped in James quickly. "If you get the chance, give her a good kick."

"James!" Lily admonished.

The black haired boy shrugged. "I am only voicing the desire of everyone in the school," he stated. "Oh, and watch out for Professor McGonagall. Don't get on her bad side," James said, grimacing slightly.

Sirius grinned at his friend. "I assume that you're already on her bad side, then."

"He's pretty much stuck there permanently," said Remus with a laugh.

James sent the auburn haired boy a mock hurt look. "Teacher's pet," he grumbled good-naturedly. Spooning in another mouthful of boysenberry ice cream, James suddenly spluttered, small flecks of cream splattering onto the table. Lily gave him a disgusted look.

"I can't believe I forgot to tell you," he said, ignoring Lily and turning to Sirius. "Don't go anywhere near a greasy git called Snivellus. Unless you're going to prank him," he added as an afterthought.

"Snivellus…?" asked Sirius, a little perplexed.

"Don't listen to him, he's just being a prat," Lily said, rolling her eyes and taking another mouthful of strawberry ice cream.

"Lily! He's a stuck up Slytherin prick who hates all muggle-borns. Why do you stand up for him all the time?" asked James, annoyed.

As the two Gryffindors began to bicker about 'giving everyone a fair go', Remus spooned another helping of chocolate fudge ice cream into his mouth. Suddenly, he felt a brush against his leg. Glancing up, he noticed Sirius looking at him with playful eyes, and he felt another brush against his leg. Sirius winked as a warm feeling settled in the pit of Remus' stomach.

Lily and James' argument died down a few moments later and the three Hogwarts students spent the next half hour telling Sirius everything important to know about their school and its populace. Remus tried to pay as much attention as he could while a leg brushed up and down his every so often.

* * *

"Oh, thank God! Sirius!" a voice called loudly as the group emerged from Penelope and Ambers' a short while later. They turned to find Andy waving them down furiously from across the street.

"Hey, Andy," said Sirius as she dodged a mother with a pram and came up to them.

"Hello, hello," Andromeda said, nodding hastily in greeting. She turned to her cousin urgently.

"I'm so glad you're here, Sirius. Madame Jelson is being an absolute nightmare and refusing to let me shrink the set of draws I ordered the other week. She's demanding they be carried home the Muggle way so as not to Damage The Intricate Carvings. Honestly, I don't even see how magic would damage it…" she trailed off grumbling.

Looking up, she found the four teenagers staring at her. Smiling wryly, Andy shook her head.

"Sorry, I'm a bit flustered, aren't I? Would you mind helping me out, Sirius? She adores you and it would look like we're carrying it home normally."

Sirius nodded immediately. "Sure, I'll help."

"Brilliant!" cried Andy. "I'm so sorry to interrupt your day," she apologized.

"No, it's no matter!" assured Remus. "Is there anything we can do to help?"

"No, no, I'm afraid too many people would just put Madame Jelson off completely! Tell you what, why don't you three head back to our house?" she said, digging in her pocket and handing Lily a key. "I won't keep Sirius for too long."

"Are you sure you don't need any help?" asked James. "We could try and distract her for you?"

Andromeda smiled at him but shook her head. "It's appreciated James, but Sirius and I can manage. You lot have to relax before school starts tomorrow." Suddenly, Andy beamed at them.

"Here's an idea!" she said. "Why don't you all stay over at ours tonight? We can all head off together to London tomorrow and it'll make up for my ruining your outing today."

"Great idea!" said Sirius, grinning.

Forestalling the group's thanks, Andy held up a hand. "Listen, we really should run. Make yourselves at home when you get there!"

Sirius waved at them as he followed his cousin down the street and Lily, James and Remus turned in the direction of the Tonks' house.

* * *

"We should have gone and packed while we waited," Lily said, as they sat in the front room of Andy's house. Her mouth twitched when James's face twisted into a look of despair. Suddenly, the front door burst open and Sirius stumbled quickly through.

"Guys! Come and look at this! There's some giant metal horse thing in the middle of the street!" he cried, rushing into the room.

Remus, James and Lily went over to the window to investigate.

"Look at it!" cried Sirius, pointing at the object standing on the road.

James frowned, but Lily and Remus burst out laughing.

"What? What is it?" asked Sirius, only slightly put out by his friends' laughter.

"That, Padfoot," said Remus, "is a motorbike, not a giant metal horse."

"I can't believe you don't know what a motorbike is!" cried Lily, looking back into the street. A man was just exiting the house opposite, dressed in leather and looking decidedly rugged. As the four teenagers watched, the man kick started the engine and roared off. James issued a low whistle.

"My family didn't want me to have anything to do with Muggle things," explained Sirius, still staring down the street. "I knew about cars and the Knight Bus, obviously, but I've never seen a motorbike," he said, testing the word out experimentally.

When they had finally moved away from the window and were sitting down around the coffee table, Sirius cried "I _want_ one!"

"I don't know, mate, I think brooms are better," said James, loyal always to his favourite pastime.

"Flying's all well and good but – _oh –"_ Sirius paused as a thought struck him. "Imagine if it could _fly!_ How _cool_ would that be?"

James and Sirius' faces lit up and Lily rolled her eyes at the predictable display.

"Did everything go alright with Andy?" interrupted Remus, before Sirius and James could get even more far gone with thoughts of flying motorbikes.

Sirius grinned. "I had to suck up to the old witch a heap and when we finally convinced her to let us take it, Andy shrunk it as soon as we got out of the shop."

Andromeda stuck her head around the door not a moment later. "Have you lot packed yet?" she asked, eyes travelling over the four teenagers lounging on the armchairs.

Lily shook her head. "No, I was just thinking we should."

Andromeda nodded. "Let me know when you're done so I can get the trunks ready for tomorrow," she told them before heading in the direction of the kitchen.

Lily stood up. "Alright, I'm going to get my stuff then. You two," she said, pointing at Remus and James, "Should go and pack too."

"Aww, Lily," implored James from his sprawled position on the couch. "Do we have to do it right now?"

Lily gave him a look before throwing a pillow into his face. "Yes, you do," she said, leaving the room.

Remus attempted to suppress his laughter as a disgruntled James got to his feet.

"Come on, then," the black haired boy grumbled, following Lily.

As James left the room, Remus turned back and gave Sirius a smile. "See you soon," he said before moving around the coffee table. He suddenly felt a hand grab his wrist, and as he was pulled around, it was to find Sirius grinning impishly at him. Sirius lowered his mouth to his and kissed him quickly, leaving a fiery sting on Remus' lips as he pulled away. Sirius let go of Remus's wrist and winked. The auburn haired boy managed to make his feet move towards the door before he looked back quickly. Sirius was still grinning.

* * *

That evening found James, Lily and Remus back at the Tonks' house, their trunks packed in preparation for the next day. They and Sirius had spent the late afternoon lounging around, enjoying their last day of freedom, helping Andy with a few last minute jobs, and (in Sirius' case) day dreaming about flying motorcycles.

After having eaten dinner with Ted, Andy and Nymphadora, the four teenagers had retired to Sirius' room where they'd been for the last two hours.

"Let's play a game," said a tipsy Lily.

They'd been sharing around a bottle of firewhiskey and the group of four, sprawled on the floor of Sirius' room, had nothing to do.

"What?" asked Remus.

"I will start a sentence and you have to finish it," she answered.

"You and your games," said Remus shaking his head elaborately. Lily ignored him and pointed at Sirius. "Okay…Never in my life have I…"

"Thought about kissing frogs."

James sniggered.

"There's this girl I know…"

"Who has red hair," Sirius said, grinning at Lily.

"There's this boy I know…"

"Who I wouldn't mind snogging senseless." Another grin and waggaling of the eyebrows was directed at another member of the group.

Remus coloured at Sirius's gaze while Lily gave a tipsy giggle and James guffawed openly.

"We are absolutely and abhorredly _drunk_," said James after a few seconds of blushing, giggling and overall amusement.

"Well that's not my fault, mate. You're the one who pulled out the firewhiskey," said Sirius.

"Look, paper!" cried Remus suddenly, gaining the attention of his three companions.

James blinked at him owlishly. "I'm sorry?"

"Paper," repeated Remus, smiling lopsidedly. He pulled a piece of paper out from under the bed.

"Yes," said Sirius seriously. "Paper."

Lily giggled.

Remus ignored them and turned to James who was sitting closest to the desk. "Throw me a quill," he said. A deep blue feathered quill and a small bottle of ink quickly found themselves being thrown in the werewolf's direction. Even after a few drinks, Remus caught the objects easily.

"I'm going to draw something," he announced to the general vicinity.

Sirius laughed. "OK, then."

"Kay, Sirius, you had your go with the finish-the-sentence game. Now it's someone else's go," said Lily as Remus busily scribbled on his paper.

"Alright, Lils," said Sirius. "I'd rather lick the belly of a cockr oach than…"

"Swim with the giant squid."

James snorted and the red head gave him an annoyed look. "What? I don't like things that are slimy."

"If I were an animal I would be…"

A few minutes later, Remus resurfaced from his obsessive drawing. Upon finding the piece of paper, he'd had a wonderful idea and had spent the last ten minutes plotting it down. He looked at the finished product and frowned. It wasn't a work of art but it would have to do.

"Here you go," he said, holding out the paper to a laughing Sirius.

The three teenagers, who had continued the sentence game while Remus drew, were subsequently distracted.

"What is it?" asked Sirius, examining the slightly wonky lines and small labels.

"It's a map," said Remus proudly, "Of Hogwarts. Just in case you get lost and we're not there to help you."

Lily grinned at the auburn haired boy. "That's a brilliant idea!"

Remus smiled back at her.

"But Hogwarts is really big! How did you fit it all on one page?" asked James, crawling over and squinting over Sirius' shoulder.

"Oh, I didn't draw all of it - just the main parts that you'll be seeing tomorrow."

"This is great, thanks, Moony," said Sirius happily. Reaching up, he put the map on his desk, where it wouldn't be forgotten tomorrow.

It was almost an hour later when the door to Sirius' room creaked open.

Completely oblivious, the group carried on laughing and talking loudly. Only when a throat cleared did their exclamations die away.

"You lot should be getting to bed," said Andy from the door way, wearing a light blue robe. Her eye fell on the half-empty bottle of firewhisky and she raised a delicate dark brown eyebrow. Sirius hastily pushed the incriminating object from view.

The teenagers looked at each other quickly, and Andy smiled to herself. "We have to get up early tomorrow and you will be no use to me half dead from exhaustion. It's already two o'clock in the morning," she said, conjuring up four bright purple sleeping bags and throwing one each to Sirius, James, Lily and Remus.

"Bed. Now," she said finally, closing the door softly.

They looked at each other again before climbing wearily to their feet. The effects of the firewhisky had dissipated during their animated talk and as Lily left to change in the bathroom, the three boys discreetly pulled on their pyjamas and climbed into their sleeping bags. Ted had transfigured some pillows into single-sized futons which were squashed together to fit beside Sirius' bed. Lily returned and took up her sleeping bag as well, yawning as she settled down next to Remus. Now that they had prepared for bed, they realized how tired they actually were.

Eyes drifting closed, the group's breathing soon evened out and Sirius mumbled a quick Nox, plunging the room into darkness.

* * *

Remus woke a few hours later to the unavoidable call of nature. He got up quietly and carefully stepped over Lily, unaware of the eyes on his back. Gently opening the door, he slipped out of the room.

Although it was early morning, the hallway was still quite dark and Remus blearily made his way to the bathroom. As he flicked the switch, he squinted in the harsh light before disappearing inside. The door to Sirius' room opened a moment later and a dark figure emerged, settling down to wait in the shadows.

* * *

Remus was just about to open the bedroom door and return to his sleeping bag when a sound startled him into jumping a foot in the air.

"You know, I meant what I said before," said Sirius in a low voice.

Remus spun around, and in the darkness he could see the boy's shape leaning against the wall.

"What?" Remus asked, he too keeping his voice low.

Although he couldn't quite see Sirius' face, Remus had a feeling he was smiling.

"I meant what I said before," Sirius repeated.

"When?" asked the werewolf.

"You know, when we were playing that game? When we were absolutely and abhorredly _drunk,_" he said, mimicking James' earlier statement. "When I said I wanted to absolutely snog this boy senseless."

And suddenly Sirius stepped forward and pulled Remus towards him. Their mouths met roughly before settling into a gentler rhythm, lips sliding over each other. Heat coursed up Remus' body as Sirius sighed into his mouth. Cupping the right side of Remus' jaw, Sirius' left hand intertwined in the werewolf's wavy hair and Remus ran his hands over Sirius' smooth chest before one came to rest on the side of his neck and the other in soft, black locks.

Remus streamed kisses down Sirius' throat, ending at the boy's collar bone which he nipped playfully, making him gasp. Sirius pushed Remus' head back gently and leaned forward again, this time kissing the werewolf more passionately. He took advantage of Remus' slightly open lips and slipped his tongue inside, exploring as their lips moved over each other. Remus' tongue met Sirius' readily and his grip of the boy's hair tightened as he moaned softly into his mouth.

"Moony," whispered Sirius, pressing closer Remus, so that he was pressed up against the wall.

"Pads," smiled Remus into his mouth, as he felt a hand running down his chest, towards his stomach, slipping lower…

The two boys jumped apart silently as a creaking noise broke through the otherwise silent house. They could hear footsteps down the hall and Remus grabbed Sirius' hand pulling him towards the bedroom quickly. They slipped in and hurried to their sleeping bags, relieved that James and Lily had not woken. As the two boys lay down quickly, the door to the room opened slightly, a head popping around the wood. Through half closed lids, Sirius could see Andy looking down on them before she smiled and withdrew, closing the door.

Remus was thankful that he had chosen to lie with his back to the door. His breathing was still irregular after his kiss with Sirius and the quick dash to feign sleep. He looked at the boy facing him and smiled. Leaning closer he kissed Sirius quickly, adrenaline making him breathless. The black haired boy arched his neck and responded eagerly before they pulled away and rested their heads on their pillows.

It had been unfortunate that they had been interrupted, thought Sirius as he watched Remus shift his pillow to a more comfortable position. His lips still stung and he could still feel Remus' hands in his hair. Sirius smiled to himself. It wouldn't be the last of their nighttime meetings though, he vowed. They didn't necessarily have to be nighttime, either. From what he'd heard, there were a lot of broom cupboards in Hogwarts.

* * *

**A/N:** Only one more to go! This was mainly a filler of sorts but I hope you liked it. Reviews are love, as always!


	15. They're Back

**Disclaimer: **I have not and will not ever own anything of the Harry Potter franchise. Except maybe some random HP merchandise and a signed copy of a photo of Daniel Radcliffe. But that doesn't really count now, does it?

**Author's Note: **Wow. This long, long journey has finally come to a close, and I want to firstly thank you all for your company along the way. For those who have stuck with me from the start all the way to the end, thank you. For those who joined along the way, thank you. For everyone who reviewed, favourited or alerted this story, thank you.

**There'****s a Hole in Your Logic** sprung from a simple thought of having new neighbors and has evolved ever so much. A massive THANK YOU goes out to my friend and beta _**amberbelle**_ who encouraged me when I first spoke of a half formed summer AU story, edited and offered advice on every chapter since and is basically awesome.

As I've said before, this was always just meant to be about the gang over the summer and that's the way it has played out. Sorry if you wanted to see them at school, but I feel that here's where I need to end it.

This will always hold a special place in my heart, it was my first long chapter story and I couldn't have done it without you all.

So, for the final time: Read on, and enjoy!

* * *

**Chapter Fifteen:**** They're Back**

The morning of September First saw the Tonks' household bursting with activity.

"Andy, have you seen my purple socks?!" yelled Sirius as he ran up the stairs, a piece of toast in hand and his shirt on backwards.

"Try the basket on the landing," called out Andy. "James! Put that down and bring the trunks downstairs. The car will be here any minute!"

James rushed off, cutting off a startled Lily as she emerged from the kitchen. "Car?" she asked Andy, lending a supporting hand to Remus as he jumped around, trying to pull on his socks.

"Ted managed to organize us a deal with the Ministry," said Andy. "They're taking us to King's Cross."

A loud crash interrupted Lily's reply and she, Andy and Remus went swiftly to investigate the source of the noise.

"Oh, James," sighed Andy wearily as they gazed down on his sprawled figure, the contents of someone's organized trunk strewn across the floor.

James grinned meekly up at them from under his ever-tussled bangs. "Tripped," he said, shrugging and letting Remus pull him to his feat. Andy shook her head before muttering a charm under her breath. The various books and items of clothing that had escaped the suitcase whizzed back to their original place.

"Found them!" cried Sirius suddenly, running back down the stairs and waving a pair of purple socks in triumph. Stopping on the second last stair he looked down at the figures standing before him. "What've I missed?" he asked breathlessly.

Lily rolled her eyes in amusement. "Never mind," she said.

A few minutes later James had finished arranging their trunks beside the door . Looking up, he saw Lily watching him. Winking, he ruffled his hair and laughed as Lily rolled her eyes again.

"Come on, help me clear out the sleeping stuff from Sirius' room," she said to him, not waiting to see if he'd follow her up the stairs.

Down in the kitchen, Remus had returned to finish his glass of milk, Sirius following behind and turning his shirt the right way round.

"Dora! What do you think you're doing?" cried Andy as she spotted her daughter rummaging in the kitchen cupboard. The little girl dropped the cookie she was holding guiltily. "You've only just had breakfast. If your father were here…" Andy shook a warning finger at her daughter before sweeping her up and carrying her out into the front hallway.

Remus and Sirius grinned at each other.

"I can't believe we're going back to school already," said Remus as he rinsed his glass and stood it up to dry.

"Can't believe _I'm_ going to _Hogwarts_," replied Sirius with a grin. "I think my dear mother just might combust on the spot when she finds out."

Remus laughed. "We'll send her a Hogwarts toilet seat," he said with a grin.

"Oh, she'll love that. We can attach a photo of all my new friends with it. A muggle, a muggle-lover and a half-blood. It'll be fantastic."

"Peter's pure-blood," said Remus before realizing Sirius wouldn't know that.

"You'll meet him on the train. You'll like him," he told Sirius.

The black haired boy raised an eyebrow. "Is there anything I should be worried about, Moony? Is this _Peter_ my competition?"

Remus laughed. "I can assure you, you have nothing to worry about. Peter is one hundred percent on the straight and narrow."

Sirius grinned. "Good, then I can have you all to myself," he said with a suggestive wink.

Remus blushed, but before he could reply, Andy interrupted them. "Boys!" she called from the front of the house. "Car's here!"

Ten minutes later James, Lily, Remus and Sirius were sitting comfortably in the back of a black car that smelt faintly of tobacco smoke. Andy had Nymphadora on her lap in the front.

"All set?" asked the driver.

"All set," confirmed Andy. They turned to wave one last time to Wendy and John who had come out to see them off.

"See you at Christmas!" called Remus.

Without warning the car pulled away from the curb and they were all thrown back into their seats violently. Remus smiled as he felt Sirius take his hand in his.

* * *

The group arrived at King's Cross with ten minutes to spare.

"Hurry now!" called Andy as the driver helpfully wheeled over trolleys for their trunks.

"There should be a medal awarded for the wheeling of trolleys between platforms without hitting anyone," said Sirius as they wove their way between crowds of people.

"Where are we going, anyway?" he asked, realizing suddenly that he had never actually asked how students get to Hogwarts. The train station they were standing in gave him a hint, but he couldn't imagine how you'd stop Muggles noticing a train surrounded by people wearing funny clothing. Not to mention carrying owls and toads and cauldrons of all shapes and sizes.

By the time the question had left his lips however, they had all stopped in front of a wall.

"Right, and where does the train come in?" asked Sirius to no one in particular. James turned around and grinned at him.

"Padfoot, you're going to love this," he said, walking backwards slowly. When he reached the wall, the black haired boy yawned largely and leaned backwards.

"Brilliant!" cried Sirius as he watched his friend disappear. "Can I have a go?" he asked eagerly.

Andy laughed and nodded towards the bricks. "Go ahead."

When they had all emerged onto platform 9 ¾, Andy quickly bustled them towards the gleaming scarlet train.

"Hurry, hurry, it'll be leaving soon!" she said.

After a round of hugs goodbye and a warning "behave!" she pushed them towards the doors. "Go on, find a compartment before they're all full!" she said as the clock chimed eleven o'clock.

Sirius watched as Andy and Nymphadora sped away from them, Andy waving heartily and Dora chasing the train's last carriages. Turning around after they'd disappeared into the mist he saw the others had already started moving up the train's carriages.

"Wonder where Peter is," said James looking into each compartment they passed.

"James! Remus! Over here!" they heard a voice call suddenly, and they looked up to see a round face popping out of a compartment further up the carriage.

Peter moved back to let his friends through and goggled as Lily made to go in after them. Turning questioning eyes to Remus, he let her pass.

Remus laughed at Peter's expression and placed a hand on his arm. "Pete, you missed a lot this summer."

"I missed a lot as in James finally pulled his head out of his arse –"

"Hey!"

" – or Evans went batty and decided to be friends with him?"

"Excuse me?!"

Remus ignored them and grinned at Peter. "A little of both I think," he said.

Peter nodded and turned to Lily. "Welcome to the gang, then," he said, with a bow.

"Stop trying to steal my girl!" cried James.

Lily swatted at his arm. "I am _not_ your girl!" she said, somewhat shrilly.

Peter simply laughed before turning to sit down in his usual place by the door. He stopped when he realized that someone was already sitting in it.

"Who are you?" asked Peter, more out of surprise than actual rudeness.

Sirius laughed. "I'm Sirius," he said, stretching out his hand for Peter to shake.

"He moved in next to Remus this summer," James said. "He's Andromeda's cousin."

"Oh!" Peter turned wide eyes onto Sirius. "You're a Black, then," he stated.

"Unfortunately, yes," Sirius grimaced.

"Don't worry, we can't always help what we are. What really matters is who we choose to be," said Peter in an uncharacteristically solemn tone.

The group was silent for a moment, all staring at Peter who after a second cracked a smile.

"What happened to _you_ this summer?" asked James incredulously.

Peter laughed and pulled out a book from the bag beside him. "My Aunt gave it to me. It's about the Swedish Royal Family, going years back. It's full of all these weird quotes and proverbs. And look!"

Peter held up the book so the others could see. Over the double page spread was a picture of a large ballroom. Covering the 'floor' of the ballroom were small moving figures that appeared to be dancing. Next to each was a label stating which Royal Family member the figure represented.

Peter turned the page. "It goes on for all the rooms in the castle. They can move around to different ones but you can always tell who's who because of the names. It's wicked."

"Brilliant charms work," muttered Lily, staring avidly at the book. Remus nodded silently next to her and James rolled his eyes.

"Trust you two to think of it as a school project," he said.

"We are simply admiring the magic behind it James, there's nothing wrong with that!" said Lily defensively.

As the two started bickering, Remus rolled his eyes and smiled at Sirius. He had been quieter than usual and Remus wondered if he was perhaps nervous about Hogwarts.

"It would be great to have a map like that," said Peter contemplatively, the noise of James and Lily almost drowning him out. "Like of Hogwarts or something. We could see where everyone was."

For the second time in less than half an hour the compartment grew silent and they all stared at Peter in shock. Suddenly James threw his hands up in the air, startling Peter enough that he dropped the book he was holding.

"Pete, you are a genius!"

"I am?" asked Peter, confused.

"It would be brilliant! Imagine – a map of Hogwarts, where you can see everyone, anywhere at any time. Do you know how much easier it'll be to plan pranks now?!"

Peter nodded enthusiastically at his friend while Lily rolled her eyes.

"We could map it all out and – hey! Sirius! Where's that map Remus drew for you yesterday?" James asked.

Sirius pulled out a slightly crumpled piece of parchment from his pocket.

"Yes!" said James, taking the roughly drawn map from his hands. Pulling out a crushed looking quill from his bag, he launched into ideas enthusiastically, scrawling over the parchment. Sirius, Remus, Lily and Peter tried best to keep up with their friend's rambling.

"It would be brilliant," conceded Remus, "but very dangerous in the wrong hands," he continued as he took the map from James to see what his friend had scribbled there in the last few minutes.

"Then we'll find a way to hide it," said Sirius. Remus glanced at him and saw that he was smiling, eyes shining as his mind turned over hundreds of possibilities. Turned out scheming was a good distraction from nerves. "We could make it invisible, like you're cloak."

"You told him about the cloak?" cried Peter, before James could respond.

James waved his arm, flapping the question away.

"But then _we_ wouldn't be able to find it," said Remus.

"How about a book, or a piece of parchment or something? We could charm it so it would look like something else to other people," said Lily.

"Yes!" said James, beaming at her. "That's perfect."

"It's going to be a lot of complex charm work, you know," said Remus.

"We'll be fine," said Sirius confidently. "We've got –"

A knock on the compartment door interrupted their lively conversation. They all fell quiet and tried not to look like they were Up To No Good as an elderly lady in orange robes popped her head inside their compartment door.

"Anything from the trolley?" she asked.

On Sirius' questioning look, Remus quickly explained the trolley's function.

A few minutes later, the compartment door was firmly shut and their laps full of sweets.

"That was close," said Peter as he munched on a purple Slithering Snake.

"We shouldn't talk about it here," agreed Sirius. "Too many ears."

They all sank into a cheerful silence, snacking on chocolate and sweets and sharing conspiratorial glances.

"Peter!" cried James suddenly a few minutes later, almost choking on his chocolate frog. Sirius thumped him on the back while the black haired boy spluttered for air. "Is that a _tail?_" He finally managed to gasp, pointing at Peter's open bag.

"Oh, this?" asked Peter, reaching down and pulling out the offending item. "Yeah, it's a rat's tail. They keep them as amulets in Sweden."

Lily shuddered away from the tail in Peter's hand. "Can you put it away now?" she asked.

Peter shrugged and shoved it into his pocket. "It's only a tail," he said.

"Yeah, a disgusting one that looks like a worm," she said, shuddering again.

Peter shrugged again. "Suit yourself."

"So, how long is there to go until we get to Hogwarts?" asked Sirius, as Lily shifted in her seat, shooting distrustful glances at Peter's pocket.

"Another few hours," Remus told him. "Must always have ways to amuse oneself," he continued, reaching into his pocket. "Who wants to play Exploding Snap?"

* * *

Darkness had fallen before anyone thought of the time again. It was only when the train began to slow that they realized they were pulling into the station. Changing into their robes quickly, the five teenagers gathered their belongings and prepared to disembark.

The corridor of the train was full of bustling students, shouts of greeting, gossip and general mayhem. In the confusion, James took the opportunity to take Lily's hand in his. When she looked down in surprise, and then up at him, he simply looked at her innocently. Rolling her eyes, Lily looked away but she did not pull her hand out of its hold. The grin on James' face could have been spotted a mile away.

"Need help there, Wormtail?" asked Sirius, pulling Peter out from between two burly seventh years as they stepped off the train.

Peter looked at him in confusion. Behind them, Remus laughed.

"It's your new nickname, Pete," said Remus. "We all have one."

"Except me!" called Lily.

"It's a guy thing," said Sirius superiorly before Lily stomped on his foot.

"Ow!" he yelled, clutching at the wounded limb.

"Come on, let's go find a carriage," said Lily, ignoring Sirius' wails.

They set off towards the line of carriages, whispers following them as Lily and James led the way, still hand in hand.

Sirius, Remus and Peter followed behind. Remus nudged the black haired boy with this shoulder softly. Sirius' eyes sparkled in the moonlight as he grinned at Remus and nudged him back.

"You know," said Remus, with a laugh, "That you're currently the most interesting specimen in all of Hogwarts?"

Sirius looked away from Remus' playful eyes unwillingly and saw to his surprise that a number of students were staring at him with open curiosity. He grinned, waving at them and laughed as they averted their eyes in embarrassment. Turning back to Remus he leaned closer and whispered, "and do _you_ find me interesting, Mr. Lupin?"

Remus could not help his smile as his heart stuttered unhelpfully in his chest.

"Why Mr. Black, I find you _much_ more than interesting."

Beside them, Peter coughed loudly.

* * *

In usual Hogwarts style, by the time they entered the foyer before the great hall, gossip was circling around their heads at an alarming rate.

"_Did you hear?"_

" _- Lily and James – "_

"_I heard he slipped her a potion…"_

"_Who's the new kid?"_

" – _over the summer, yeah – "_

"_He's the prince of Bavaria!"_

" – _what is she thinking?"_

"_He's pregnant, obviously…"_

" _- purple elephants - "_

"_I always thought he was gay."_

"Mr. Black!" a sharp voice cut through the whispering around them.

They turned as one to see a thin, severe looking woman striding towards them.

"McGonagall," whispered James into Sirius' ear.

Professor McGonagall advanced casting warning looks at the students still dawdling in the foyer keen to see what would take place between the new student and Transfiguration professor.

"Miss Feither, hurry along then!" she waved a girl with dark brown hair into the Great Hall. "All of you, shoo!"

Soon James, Remus, Lily, Peter and Sirius stood alone with the Professor.

"You four, head into the Hall, please. Mr. Black, if you would follow me," said Professor McGonagall before striding off without a backwards glance. The teenagers exchanged glances before Lily nudged Sirius to follow. Remus managed to squeeze Sirius' hand reassuringly before he was pulled into the Great Hall.

* * *

By the time Professor McGonagall came to a stand-still, Sirius was thoroughly confused. He had followed her up numerous flights of stairs, through what seemed like a hundred hallways and past statue upon statue upon suit of armor. He had considered pulling out the map Remus had made him to see if he could at all figure out where he was but realized James had taken it with him into the Hall.

They were standing in front of a stone griffin and frowning a little, Sirius shot a sideways glance at his chaperone.

"Honeycomb stars," said McGonagall without warning.

"I'm sorry?" began Sirius before his attention was caught by the stone griffin that no longer seemed to be made of stone. It had moved to reveal a slowly revolving staircase. Before Sirius could continue to marvel, McGonagall pushed him towards the steps.

"Ah, here he is," said a voice once Sirius stepped off the stairs. Finding himself in a spacious but simultaneously cluttered office, Sirius looked around curiously.

Professor Dumbledore came around the side of his desk in order to clasp Sirius' hand.

"How have you been, m'boy?"

"Great, thank you," said Sirius, looking around in wonder. "This is your office, sir?" he asked.

Dumbledore chuckled. "Yes, yes it is. And those are the past headmasters of Hogwarts," he said, catching Sirius looking at the portraits on the wall. Most were eyeing the boy curiously, the others feigning sleep in order to spy more inconspicuously.

"I understand you have already met Professor McGonagall," said Dumbledore. "She teaches Transfiguration and will be your head of house if you are sorted into Gryffindor."

Sirius looked behind him and was surprised to see that she had not followed him up the stairs.

"Professor McGonagall has gone to assist in the Sorting of the first years," Dumbledore explained. "Speaking of which, you too will need to be Sorted into one of our four houses. But first, Sirius, we have some paperwork that must be taken care of – "

"Sirius?!" cried a voice suddenly, interrupting the Headmaster. Both Dumbledore and Sirius turned to the portrait that had spoken.

The image of a man with slick black hair that had previously appeared to be sleeping glared down at them.

"And what does my great-great grandson think he's doing in this school?" the portrait sneered.

"Phineas," acknowledged Sirius in a cool tone. "I am here to learn, clearly."

Dumbledore watched the exchange with quiet amusement.

"You already have a school to learn at," said the portrait, lip curling.

Sirius chuckled darkly. "Hasn't mother told you? Hasn't she deemed it important enough to let the family know her son has run away?"

Phineas' eyebrows shot up in surprise but suspicion quickly clouded his features. Without so much as another sneer he walked out of the frame.

"And now we have to work quickly," said Dumbledore. Sirius jumped, having momentarily forgotten where he was.

"Sir?"

"If your mother hears that you are at Hogwarts, intending to study she may well contact Durmstrang. Since you are not officially unenrolled from that school they have every right to block your intention to attend Hogwarts."

Sirius gulped.

"However, if we hurry, we can sign all the necessary documents and seal your status as a Hogwarts student for good."

"But don't we need permission from my old school or that of a parent?" asked Sirius worriedly.

Dumbledore looked up from where he was signing a number of pages with a large golden quill.

"There are ways around that, m'boy," he winked, before turning back to the documents on his desk.

"Now, if I can just get you to sign here, here, here, here, and over here, we should be set."

Sirius scribbled his signature hastily and put down the quill in relief. Silver sparks flew from the parchment and zoomed around to form a shimmering ribbon around the paper that soon faded.

"And not a moment too soon," said Dumbledore with a smile as the papers glowed bright green. The silver sparks returned and again performed their locking motion. "I do believe that was Durmstrang trying to block the papers. Just a minute too late." He beamed at Sirius.

Sirius ran a hand through his hair and smiled. "It's all happening," he said in disbelief.

Dumbledore nodded. "Yes. Now come, I must give my welcome speech and we have to get you Sorted."

* * *

Sirius wrung his hands together nervously. Usually confident in all situations, he had come to realize that being introduced to hundreds of strangers who would no doubt be quick to judge him, was a little daunting. Sirius stood waiting with Professor McGonagall in a side chamber to the Hall, listening to Dumbledore wrap up his speech to the students before him.

"…and while I am sure you are hopelessly awaiting a scrumptious dinner, we have one final matter of business. This year we have a new, older, student to be sorted."

Mutters erupted around the hall and Dumbledore stood patiently, waiting for them to die down before continuing.

"He will be beginning Sixth year and while you will no doubt want to bombard him with questions, please respect his privacy. I am sure he will divulge his life story when he sees fit. May I introduce Sirius Black."

The level of noise in the hall rose dramatically as Sirius stepped out of the side chamber, followed by McGonagall.

Looking out at the sea of faces, Sirius could see that his name had caused quite the uproar, particularly at the table of green and silver – _Slytherin_ – his brain supplied. He should have expected, really, that people would know who he was. Having heard from Lily, James and Remus the general stereotypes of each house, he realized with dawning horror that with his family's history he would certainly be placed in Slytherin.

Gulping, Sirius lowered himself onto a enlargened wooden stool. _I do not want to be in Slytherin,_ he thought just as Professor McGonagall placed a battered wizard's hat on his head.

Sirius could hear the hall quiet before him, the students no doubt waiting with bated breath the verdict from the Sorting Hat. His eyes rove down the table of red and gold, and finally locked onto a pair of golden brown. Remus smiled encouragingly at him.

"You have a great deal of courage, I see," whispered the hat into Sirius' ear, "And are headstrong to the point of recklessness."The hat chuckled to itself. "No doubt a worthy candidate for Gryffindor.

"Yet you posses a devious mind also," it continued, "which would serve you well in Slytherin House. Your ambition, too, is great yet your loyalty to those you love is stronger… Hufflepuff, perhaps? A tricky one you are, Mr. Black, but I have always enjoyed a challenge." The hat fell silent for a moment and Sirius could sense it making its final decision.

"No, no, I think the best house for you is GRYFFINDOR!"

Cheers erupted from the table of red and gold and Sirius released a breath of air he had not noticed he'd been holding.

Standing up quickly and putting the Sorting Hat down on the stool, Sirius could not help but grin as he made his way to Gryffindor table. Out of the corner of his eye he could see Slytherins staring at him in shock and suspicion, a boy with greasy dark hair and a hooked nose standing out in particular. Turning away from the green and silver, Sirius strode confidently down the side of the table, heading determinedly in the direction of his friends. Relief tore through him, as if a great weight had been lifted from his shoulders. Spotting James he punched the air exuberantly, eliciting another wave of cheers from the table. Remus sat opposite James, smiling at Sirius' boyish display as he walked towards him. Sirius grinned impishly and watched as Remus stood up and stretched out a hand to him. Curious whispers erupted again as Sirius, now close enough, took the offered hand and pulled Remus into a hug.

"I'm in Gryffindor!" he said into Remus' ear.

Remus laughed. "That you are. Come sit down."

Lily smiled at him from across the table, where she sat next to James, and Peter shook Sirius' hand as he sat down.

The dishes in front of them filled not a second later and everyone dove forward in order to fill their plates.

"Not bad, mate," said James around a mouthful of chicken. "You took your time up there though."

Sirius shrugged. "I posed a challenge for the hat," he said pompously before having to dodge a drumstick that came flying at his head.

* * *

Over his goblet of pumpkin juice, Dumbledore looked down at the laughing students with a twinkle in his eye.

"They seem almost complete now, don't they?" asked McGonagall from his left. Dumbledore turned in surprise to see the lady watching the five teenagers with an unidentifiable expression.

"They do, don't they, Minerva?" he agreed, turning back to observe the group. He smiled as he watched Sirius distract Lily so James could take the opportunity to turn her food blue. McGonagall harrumphed beside him.

"You'll no doubt be hearing a lot from them this year," said Dumbledore with a chuckle.

As Lily smacked James upside the head, his smile grew.

McGonagall sighed. "It seems so. I only hope that I will be able to count on Miss Evans and Mr Lupin to keep them in line. At least a little bit," she sighed in resignation as Peter set off a mini Filbuster Firework in the onion soup.

McGonagall made to stand up but Dumbledore placed a calming hand on her arm. "Let them have some fun," he said with his customary twinkle.

In the confusion following the exploding soup, Dumbledore watched as Remus leaned closer to Sirius. The black haired boy was so absorbed in whatever was being whispered in his ear that he did not notice Remus' arm snake around his neck, wand pointed at Sirius' head. A moment later Dumbledore openly guffawed as Sirius' hair turned the colour of bubble gum pink. The look of horror on the boy's face was priceless.

"Looks like the Marauders are back with bells on," said Dumbledore to himself.

**THE END**


End file.
